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UP polls: PM Modi to address first virtual rally today
Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2022: The ‘Jan Chaupal’ rally is meant for 21 assembly constituencies of western UP from where the seven-phase assembly polls will begin on February 10.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a virtual ‘Jan Chaupal’ rally on Monday, his first for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
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This virtual rally is meant for 21 assembly constituencies of western UP from where the seven-phase assembly polls will begin on February 10.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has shared the link of the rally with local residents, and virtual rally studios have been set up in the constituencies.
BJP’s virtual rally in-charge Anoop Gupta said big screens would be set up in all the divisions of Nakur, Behat, Saharanpur (city), Saharanpur (Dehat), Deoband, Gangoh and Rampur Maniharan. “About 49,000 people will be connected to the rally... In 7,878 booths, the heads and panna pramukhs (voters’ list in charges) would be connected.”
The BJP is up against the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (SP-RLD) alliance in western UP. Union home minister Amit Shah recently met Jat leaders of the region in New Delhi on Republic Day. Jat leaders, who had emerged from the meeting, had later appealed to RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary to all with the BJP. The RLD has rejected the appeal.
Top BJP leaders, including party president JP Nadda, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, defence minister Rajnath Singh and Union home minister Amit Shah have been addressing “prabhavi matdata sammelans” (influential voters’ meets)’ and holding door-to-door contact campaigns in western UP. With the SP-RLD alliance out to pose a strong challenge, the BJP is again banking on PM Modi’s charisma for yet another good show in the region.
“There would be much focus on the PM’s address as this would be his first political outreach in the region in a long time. Last time, too, there was this talk of Jats being unhappy with the BJP but as you would have seen, the BJP scored big wins in the region and Jats also voted for us,” a BJP leader said.
All candidates in the western UP constituencies would also be connected to the rally.
“About 49,000 people will be connected directly to the rally and all of them would follow social distancing norms. Besides, at 7878 booths, the booth adhyaksh (head), panna pramukh (head of a page on the voters’ list) and the beneficiaries of various government schemes would also be connected,” said Gupta.
To check the spread of Covid-19 and its new variant Omicron, the Election Commission (EC) had banned physical rallies and road shows in the elections, allowing virtual campaigns and allowing door-to-door contact as the only direct campaign format in the poll bound state.
The EC is, however, expected to review its order on Monday. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has already announced her first public rally in Agra on Wednesday.
