E-Paper
Modi to lead BJP’s campaign blitz in east UP, 4 rallies today
BJP plans mega rallies by PM Modi in eastern UP to counter SP-Congress alliance. Modi to address four rallies in a day in Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Pratapgarh.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is lining up mega rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where it is up against a well- coordinated Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in most of the seats, senior BJP leaders aware of the matter said.
After two visits to Varanasi over the past week for filing his nomination and a mega roadshow, Modi might be back in east UP to address four poll rallies in a single day in Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Bhadohi and Pratapgarh, all of which go to the polls in the sixth phase on May 25, the leaders confirmed.
These rallies are important in the BJP’s scheme of things. The first rally of the day is likely to be held at 9.45am in Lalganj in Azamgarh, followed by a second rally at 10.50am in Jaunpur, Macchlishahr, a third in Bhadohi at 12.35pm and the fourth at 1.55 pm in Pratapgarh, a senior BJP leader aware of the development said, requesting anonymity.
While Jaunpur was won by the BSP in 2019 general elections, the SP held Azamgarh, and the BJP held Bhadohi and Pratapgarh LS seats.
Modi is also scheduled to address rallies in Basti and Deoria on May 21 and 27, respectively, the leader added.
This will be the number of rallies in a single day in this election season in UP.
“Each Modi rally draws a massive audience and thus has the power to swing votes; this is the reason why his rallies are much sought after and that is why the idea is to squeeze in as much as possible ,” a senior BJP functionary said, adding that the demand for a Modi rally was existed from each of the 80 Lok Sabha seats.
Pratapgarh borders Rae Bareli, the only Lok Sabha constituency the Congress won in 2019 in UP and from where senior leader Rahul Gandhi is now contesting against UP minister Dinesh Pratap Singh.
In Azamgarh, the BJP is the incumbent but the Samajwadi Party holds all 10 assembly seats that make up the Lok Sabha constituency. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s nephew Dharmendra Yadav is contesting from Azamgarh in a 2022 bypoll rematch with BJP’s Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’.
The BSP has fielded Sabiha Ansari, a pasmanda (backward) Muslim in Azamgarh.
BJP’s Kashi region spokesperson Navaratan Rathi said that along with rallies in Azamgarh and Pratapgarh, Modi will also address two more rallies in Jaunpur and Bhadohi, both due for polls in sixth phase.
In Jaunpur, the BJP has named former Maharashtra minister Kripa Shankar Singh who faces a triangular contest against Samajwadi Party-Congress pick Babu Singh Kushwaha and BSP’s sitting MP Shyam Singh Yadav.
At Bhadohi, the BJP has dropped sitting MP Ramesh Bind and fielded Vinod Kumar Bind, an Ayurveda practitioner whereas the Trinamool Congress, in alliance with the SP, has fielded former Congress leader Lalitesh Pati Tripathi while the BSP has gone with Harishankar.
“Soon after landing at Babatpur airport, the PM would be joined by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and together they would proceed to address rallies,” BJP leaders said.
Modi is also scheduled to address election rallies in Basti and Deoria district in east UP, BJP’s regional chief Sahjanand Rai confirmed.
He said the Modi rally in Basti, that was earlier scheduled for May 17, would now be held on May 21.
In Basti, the BJP’s sitting MP Harish Dwivedi is pitted BJP turncoat Daya Shankar Mishra contesting on a BSP ticket and Samajwadi Party’s Ram Prasad Chaudhary. It goes to the polls on May 25
On May 21, Modi would also be in Varanasi to attend a women’s conference.
Modi’s other rally in the region would be held in Deoria from where BJP replaced its sitting MP Ramapati Ram Tripathi with Shashank Mani Tripathi who is pitted against Congress-SP joint candidate Akhilesh Pratap Singh on May 27. Deoria goes to polls in the seventh and final phase on June 1.
