PM Modi’s Vadodara event goes digital with BookMyShow registrations

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, public participation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme in Vadodara on September 8 was opened through free registrations on the ticketing platform, BookMyShow, with the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) using the private digital platform to manage registrations and access to the event.

The initiative drew a strong public response, with all available seats booked within an hour of registrations opening. The VMC subsequently closed registrations, while more than 42,000 additional applicants were placed on the waiting list.

The event is also set to deploy a fully digital, technology-enabled entry system, taking the registration process beyond ticket booking to verification, venue access, and seating management.

How will BookMyShow manage entry?

Registered participants will receive a digital M-Ticket through their BookMyShow account. The ticket will carry a secure, live QR code, which will be used to verify attendees at the venue.

The registration, verification, entry, and seating processes are being managed digitally, with the system designed to reduce physical queues, speed up access, and enable smoother movement of large crowds.

The use of a private digital ticketing platform by a civic body for public participation marks a notable shift in how large government programmes can manage attendance. It also highlights the growing role of digital platforms in handling high-volume registrations and real-time access verification.

The Vadodara programme comes as Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Gujarat and Maharashtra on Tuesday, September 8, where he will inaugurate, dedicate, and lay the foundation stones for development projects worth more than ₹35,000 crore in Vadodara.

What projects will Modi launch in Vadodara?

The Prime Minister will dedicate three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), covering 326 route kilometres and developed at a cost of more than ₹20,700 crore. The sections include New Sanand (North)-New Makarpura, New Umbergaon-New Saphale, and New Saphale-New JNPT.

The projects are expected to strengthen connectivity between industrial centres and ports, facilitate faster movement of export-import cargo, reduce logistics costs, and help decongest Mumbai’s railway network.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stones for three railway projects spanning 329 kilometres and costing more than ₹9,700 crore, besides three National Highway projects worth around ₹1,780 crore.

The visit will also include the inauguration of the Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai, which is being held from September 8 to 11 and will focus on emerging technologies such as Agentic AI, tokenisation, and quantum technologies in financial services.

The Vadodara event’s digital participation system comes against the backdrop of a broader push towards technology-enabled public infrastructure and service delivery, demonstrating how digital tools can be used to manage large-scale public gatherings more efficiently.