More rallies, roadshows planned for PM Modi in UP

Lucknow, Apr 18:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold a campaign blitzkrieg comprising several rallies and roadshows in western Uttar Pradesh in the coming days.

The Prime Minister has already addressed three rallies in Meerut, Saharanpur and Pilibhit. He is set to address at least four more rallies and a roadshow beginning April 19 from Amroha, a constituency due for polls in the second phase on April 26.

Amroha is among the 16 Lok Sabha seats that the BJP had lost in 2019.

A senior party functionary said, “Each rally of PM Modi has the capacity to influence results in not just that constituency but in adjoining regions, too, and that is why his rallies are planned in a way to maximise the reach.”

Rallies of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, too, are in great demand.

The BJP leader said, “It is difficult to accommodate all as there is a huge demand for PM Modi rallies from all 80 Lok Sabha seats. But he has to look after the entire country and that is why the attempt is to maximise the reach by arranging those rallies in a manner that benefits several candidates.”

The sitting Amroha BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali, who had won the seat in 2019 when BSP-SP-RLD had teamed up against the BJP, is now contesting the polls as the Congress candidate. The Congress has a pre-poll pact with the Samajwadi Party for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

PM Modi’s rally in Amroha will back BJP candidate Kanwar Singh Tanwar, who had won the seat in 2014. The day after PM Modi’s election event, Rahul Gandhi-Akhilesh Yadav will hold a joint rally in Amroha.

“The influence of the PM Modi’s rally could be assessed from the fact that after his rally, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati too are scheduled to address rallies to counter PM Modi’s impact,” a senior BJP leader said.

After Amroha, PM Modi is again expected to be back with rallies for the Hathras and Aligarh Lok Sabha seats on April 22.

The BJP won both seats in 2019 and they have a substantial Dalit and minority population. The BJP has changed its sitting MP Rajveer Singh Diler in Hathras, while in Aligarh, it has retained its sitting MP Satish Gautam.

This is likely to be followed by PM Modi’s rally for party candidates in Agra and the adjoining Fatehpur Sikri Lok Sabha seats on April 25.

Both Agra and Fatehpur Sikri are set for a three-cornered contest. Agra has a substantial population of Jatavs -- the Dalit subcaste to which BSP chief Mayawati belongs.

It is also referred to as the “Dalit capital” due to the substantial presence of the community. Fatehpur Sikri has a substantial population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

In Agra, BJP candidate S.P. Singh Baghel is a sitting MP and a Union minister too. In Fatehpur Sikri, the sitting MP is Raj Kumar Chahar.

Another rally of PM Modi is expected for BJP candidates in Bareilly, Aonla and Shahjahanpur on April 25. This is set to be followed by a roadshow in Bareilly on April 26. In Bareilly, the BJP has changed its formidable sitting OBC MP and former Union Minister Santosh Gangwar, who had won eight times, including six consecutive terms.

The BJP, not wanting to take a chance, has also planned PM Modi’s roadshow here as well. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also held a rally there.