Modi to campaign for five days

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP’s star campaigner, will begin his five-day election campaign from Santhemarahalli in Chamarajanagar district on May 1, in what is expected to intensify the saffron party’s all-out offensive just days ahead of the polls.

Modi is slated to tour Karnataka for five days between May 1 and May 8, during which he will address 15 public rallies. Modi’s tour has generated high anticipation within the BJP and among its supporters, given that his last public rally was in Davangere on February 27 where he came up with the ‘Seedha Rupaiya’ jibe against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Top leaders from the BJP central leadership, including Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Piyush Goyal and Smriti Irani, have already started campaigning in the poll-bound state.  

On May 1, Modi will address a rally at Santhemarahalli at 11 am where more than one lakh people from the Mysuru region are expected, Mysore-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha told reporters. Later, Modi will leave for Udupi and address a meeting at 3 pm. He will then proceed to Chikkodi and address in a public meeting at 6 pm.

On May 3, the prime minister will address rallies at Kalaburagi, Ballari and Bengaluru. On May 5, Modi will speak at Tumakuru, Shivamogga and Gadag. On May 7, Modi will head to Raichur, Chitradurga and Kolar. He will address meetings in Vijayapura, Mangaluru and Bengaluru on May 8, Simha said.

“We are happy that Modi’s tour will also cover the Old Mysuru region, especially Ramnagar, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Hassan,” Simha said.

The last leg of the BJP’s campaign has been planned in such manner that Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah and state president B S Yeddyurappa will not share the same stage at the same time.

Another BJP star campaign, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, will separately tour Karnataka for two days, senior party leader Shobha Karandlaje said. “On May 3, Adityanath will address rallies in Sirsi, Sagara, Balehonnur, Sringeri and Chikmagalur. On May 4, he has rallies lined up in Byndoor, Bhatkal, Kapu, Bantwal and Surathkal,” she said.