Crowds at the MMRDA ground here swelled Tuesday afternoon as Anna Hazare sat on a three-day fast demanding a strong Lokpal bill.

Flanked by confidants Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, Hazare came in an open truck decorated like a 'rath' as people raised slogans hailing him.

Dressed in white dhoti and kurta, he reached the ground at the Bandra-Kurla complex with a mass of people who joined him in a rally that started from the Juhu beach.

The crowds shouted "Inquilab Zindabad" as Hazare boarded the stage with Kejriwal, Bedi and Manish Sisodiya. Also present was social activist Medha Patkar.

Earlier, Hazare paid his homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue at the Juhu beach, signalling a symbolic start to his fast.