Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kicked off his election campaign in Madhya Pradesh with a roadshow in in Jabalpur.
PM Modi, who was flanked by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, BJP candidate from Jabalpur Asish Dubey, travelled in an open vehicle during the roadshow and were seen holding the party's Lotus symbol in his hands.
The Prime Minister undertook around one and half kilometer long roadshow from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk to Shankaracharya Chowk.
Supporters in large numbers echoed ‘Modi ji Ko Jai Sriram’ in a colorful display of folk tribal dances by artists along the roadshow. Flower petals were showered by supporters amid chanting of vedic hums, shell, at the background when PM Modi’s chariot passed by.
Congress has fielded Dinesh Yadav from Jabalpur LS seat.
Attack the Congress at a public meeting, PM Modi said that that leaders who did not pay heed to Congress' clarion call not to attend consecration of Ram Lala, were ousted by the Congress.
Chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav said the entire state is swayed by the popularity of Modi wave and BJP is set to sweep all 29 LS seats.
Jabalpur, which is a part of Mahakaushal region of the state, comprises 4 Lok Sabha seats and 38 assembly seats. Apart from Jabalpur, other Lok Sabha seats are Mandla, Balaghat and Chhindwara and together with 2 seats of Sidhi and Shahdol Lok Sabha, will go to poll in the first phase on April 19.
Recently, the Mahakaushal region, particularly Jabalpur and Chhindwara, made the national headlines following large scale exodus of prominent leaders from Congress to BJP. Some of the names included Jabalpur Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh alias Annu, former AG (Advocate General) during congress government Shashank Shekhar, former Patan (Jabalpur) MLA Nilesh, Chhindwara Mayor Vikram Ahake, sitting Amarwada congress MLA Kamlesh Shah, former congress minister and close aid of Kamal Nath Deepak Saksena and others quit congress and joined BJP.
Of the 4 Lok Sabha seats in Mahakaushal region, Mandla seat is reserved for ST, while OBC communities such as Sahu, Kurmi, Lodhi, Pawar are dominant in the region.