Amit Shah to undertake poll campaign in NE states next week

Itanagar/Agartala, Mar 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will undertake an election campaign in several northeastern states next week.

He would be the first top BJP leader to launch the campaign in the region after the announcement of the 7-phase poll schedule by the Election Commission.

BJP sources said on Friday said Home Minister Shah would address an election rally at Aalo in West Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh on April 6 and hold meetings with the state BJP leaders to discuss election-related affairs.

From Arunachal Pradesh, the Home Minister would come to Tripura on April 7 for a two-day election campaign.

In Tripura, he would address one or two election rallies and hold a roadshow in Agartala.

Before leaving the state on April 8, Home Minister Shah would hold a meeting with the state party leaders. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday night held a meeting with the party leaders and discussed the visit of Home Minister Shah and his election-related campaign in the state.

The Union Home Minister will also join the BJP campaign in other northeastern states, including Assam. Besides HM Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President JP Nadda, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Sarbananda Sonowal, Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and several central leaders and MPs including Hema Malini are likely to visit the northeastern states to intensify BJP's campaign in the region.

BJP leaders said that visits of PM Modi, Union ministers and leaders are yet to be finalised.

The BJP and its allies have put up candidates in all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim.

The BJP also fielded candidates in the elections to the 60-member assembly in Arunachal Pradesh and 32-member Assembly in Sikkim.

Assembly elections in both northeastern states will be held on April 19.