Bengaluru, Feb 23 : The BJP is trying to expand its base in southern districts of poll-bound Karnataka with frequent visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the state. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit the state on March 11 during which he will inaugurate Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and address a public gathering. The Prime Minister will travel by road till Maddur town from Ramnagar city by road on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway. After inauguration, he will address a huge public gathering at Maddur. Higher Education, IT and BT Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan is making all-out efforts to turn the inaugural event of the expressway into a mega show. Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Mandya district and addressed a public rally. The south Karnataka districts of Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya and Ramnagar are considered as strong bastions of JD(S). The BJP wants to strengthen its voters' base in the southern region. The 118 kilometer expressway was built at a cost of Rs 4,473 crore. The travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru would be reduced to 90 minutes from the present three hours. However, Congress State President D. K. Shivakumar had warned that the service road is not built for the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and they are opposed to inauguration and collection of toll from passengers at this stage. /IANS