Prime Minister Modi to address more rallies in poll-bound Karnataka

New Delhi/Bangaluru, May 4: With increased hopes and confidence of wining the most crucial elections in the southern state of Karnataka, the exuberant Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned more election campaign rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming days.

Earlier the BJP had planned 15 rallies of the Prime Minister but now Narendra Modi is expected to address 21 rallies. Karnataka with its 224 assembly seats will be voting on May 12 in a single day election.

The second round of Prime Minister’s campaign began from Chamrajnagar, Udupi and Belagavi on Tuesday. He addressed three massive rallies in Gulbarga, Ballari and Bengaluru on Thursday. In the first round, he addressed about half a dozen rallies before poll dates were announced on March 27.

In view of the positive and unprecedented response of the people to his rallies, the party has decided to increase the number of rallies in coming day. In addition to rallies on May 5, 7 and 8 as per earlier schedule, Prime Minister Modi is also expected to address election rallies om May 6 and 9, party sources said.

The electioneering in Karnataka will end on May 10 evening. Some of the opinion polls have predicted a close contest between the Congress and the BJP while some have predicted a hung assembly.

Prime Minister Modi, party President Amit Shah are the two national leaders of the BJP who are considered as vote catchers for the party. Prime Minister Modi is seen as the most valuable leaders in respect of attracting voters to the BJP. It was he who snatched the victory in Gujarat which otherwise would have gone to Congress party. His rallies turned the tide and BJP could retain power in Gujarat for the fourth successive term.

The success BJP gain in Uttar Pradesh polls in unprecedented. And the credit must be given to the Prime Minister, who represents Varanasi Lok Sabha seat from the state in addition to Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath.

The BJP General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao has rightly said that any comparison between the number of rallies addressed by Modi in Karnataka and other states. The main objective is to win the election and the party is planning every move to accomplish that objective.

The BJP had earlier come to power in Karnataka which is seen as the BJP’s prospective gateway to the south. It is also the largest of the states under the Congress rule now.

On Tuesday, Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress and chief minister Siddaramaiah, as he floated “2+1” theory to target the “dynasty Congress”. Siddaramiah is contesting two assembly seats, Chamundeshwari and Badami, while his son is the Congress candidate from Varuna.

PM Modi’s rally on May 1 not only energised the BJP cadre, it even built momentum against the Congress. We hope more rallies of the PM will tilt the balance in the BJP’s favour, a BJP leader said.