Yogi to join BJP campaign at Kathua on Apr 10
*Candidate for APR seat to be announced soon
Sanjeev Pargal
Jammu, Apr 3: To boost the BJP campaign for Parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing a massive rally at Udhampur in Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency on April 12 while Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a huge election rally in Raipur-Domana on April 9 falling under Jammu-Reasi Lok Sabha seat.
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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be holding another big rally at Kathua on April 10. Former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain will address a rally at Doda on April 13.
Udhampur-Doda constituency will go to polls in first phase on April 19 while Jammu-Reasi seat will have voting in second phase on April 26.
Senior BJP leaders told the Excelsior that the Prime Minister will address a mega rally for BJP candidates Dr Jitendra Singh (Udhampur-Doda) and Jugal Kishore Sharma (Jammu-Reasi) at Modi Ground in Udhampur on April 12.
While Udhampur is part of Udhampur-Doda segment the neighbouring Reasi districts including holy town of Katra, the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, falls in Jammu-Reasi seat. Therefore, Modi’s rally at Udhampur will be joint for both the BJP candidates of Jammu region.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh is the BJP candidate for Udhampur-Doda seat who won the election in 2014 and 2019 and is now seeking third term. Similarly, BJP leader Jugal Kishore Sharma is seeking hat-trick from Jammu seat having won it for two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019.
This will be the Prime Minister’s third rally in Jammu and Kashmir this year. He addressed huge rally at MA Stadium Jammu on February 20 and another mega rally at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar on March 7.
Modi’s Udhampur rally will also be a big show, the BJP leaders said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also address an election rally at Raipur-Domana on April 9 for Jammu-Reasi BJP candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma.
The rally will be a big one, the BJP leaders said, adding that in third phase of elections also, Shah will address another rally, most likely in the border district of Poonch for Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency.
The BJP is yet to name its candidate for Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch constituency. However, the National Conference has named its senior leader Mian Altaf, former Minister for the seat. DPAP chairman and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will also be contesting from the same constituency. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) could also jump into the fray.
The Central Government had accorded Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Paharis, who have large population in Rajouri and Poonch districts which (barring one Assembly seat) are part of Anantnag constituency. The BJP has been banking on their support.
The BJP leaders said name of the party candidate on Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch Lok Sabha seat is expected to be announced any time now.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also address a mammoth public rally in Kathua on April 10 in favour of party candidate Dr Jitendra Singh.
Yogi Adityanath figures in the list of start campaigners of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said other senior BJP leaders and Ministers including party’s national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Road Transport and National Highways Nitin Gadkari are also expected to campaign for the BJP candidates in Jammu and Kashmir but dates of their visits and venues of their rallies will be announced later.
BJP UT chief Ravinder Raina has been campaigning across Jammu and Kashmir addressing series of rallies daily in support of the BJP drawing huge crowds.