Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to go on the poll campaign trail in support of his party candidates Saturday, when he addresses a mega rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, which has been placed under tight security arrangements.
It would be the first visit by a prime minister to Doda in the last 42 years.
Multi-tier security has been put in place across the twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar, especially around the venue, to help ensure a peaceful and smooth conduct of the election rally, scheduled to be taken up at the stadium in Doda town.
Prime Minister Modi will address his first election rally in Doda on tomorrow. It will be a historical event as the region will be witnessing the first visit of any Prime Minister after 42 years. "The last time a prime minister had visited Doda was in 1982," said Union Coal and Mines Minister and BJP election in-charge for Jammu & Kashmir, G Kishan Reddy, on Friday at Samba.
Modi's rally is all set to give much-needed impetus to his cadres and candidates in the region where voting for eight Assembly seats in the three districts of Chenab Valley — Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban — is scheduled for September 18.
PM Modi addressed the BJP poll rally during the 2014 Assembly elections in Kishtwar district. Since then people of Doda were waiting for an opportunity to see and hear the Prime Minister, a leader said. The visit of the prime minister will go a long way for the electoral prospects of BJP candidates, in the union territory feel the party leaders.
The party is contesting all 43 Assembly seats in the Jammu division. It has 25 MLAs in the previous J&K Assembly. Voting in the J-K Assembly elections will take place in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will be done on October 8. This is the first Assembly election in J&K in 10 years and after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
The region has long been a stronghold of the BJP, and the party had won all 25 seats it contested from here in the 2014 Assembly polls in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a poll rally at Jammu on last Saturday, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held another rally in Ramban district on Sunday.
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