In run-up to polls, Modi to hold rally on Delhi CM's turf

With Delhi BJP banking heavily on its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to wrest power from the Congress in Delhi after 15 long years, the  party’s poster boy is all set to hold an election rally right in the backyard of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

The party is planning six Modi rallies in different parts of the national capital ahead of the December 4 Assembly polls.

Among them is Gujarat chief minister’s public meeting in New Delhi Assembly constituency – represented by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit – on December 1.

While the party is still finalising the exact venue, sources said Modi will hold a public meeting in Sarojini Nagar area of the constituency.

“A total of six election rallies have been planned. The location is being finalised in a manner that he touches base with the electorate in all the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in the city,” a party senior said.

“He has already addressed one rally in Rohini. So the rest will be in six other constituencies. The exact locations are still to be finalised. However, in New Delhi, he would address the rally at around 5 pm in Sarojini Nagar area which is also a part of Sheila Dikshit Assembly seat,” the leader added.

As per the schedule cleared by the BJP headquarters, Modi will address a rally in Dwarka area of west Delhi on November 23, one rally each in east Delhi, north-east Delhi, South Delhi and Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituencies on November 30 and the one in Sarojini Nagar on December 1.

Sources said while the scale of the proposed rallies will not be as grand as the September 29 rally in Dwarka, the venue will be strategically located to make the maximum impact.

“The decision of holding one of the rallies in Sheila Dikshit’s constituency shows that the party is making all efforts to pull out a surprise in New Delhi,” said a senior party leader.
Other senior leaders who would hold rallies in the city includes party president Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Murli Manohar Joshi, Venkaiah Naidu, Uma Bharti, Varun Gandhi and Smriti Irani.

However, as per the schedule prepared by the BJP headquarters, party patriarch L K Advani is unlikely to attend any election rally in Delhi.