BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will on Sunday address a massive rally here, which will also bring the curtain down on the first phase of the Gujarat strongman’s campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
With barely hours to go before the show gets under way, the city is agog with political excitement.’Modi for PM’ posters and billboards adorn the skyline and the BJP top brass is pulling out all the stops to make the rally a grand success.
According to the BJP leaders, in terms of sheer attendance Sunday’s rally might eclipse all the previous public meetings held here.
And they are also banking on the possibility of the ‘Modi wave’ translating into votes, in order, to secure the maximum number of seats in the politically crucial state. Meanwhile, the BJP strategists have dealt a blow to the Samajwadi Party by successfully wooing Kirtiwardhan Singh, son of Agriculture Minister Anand Singh.
The SP had initially fielded Kirtiwardhan against Union Minister for Steel Beni Prasad Verma from Gonda. But later on he was asked to pull out of the race, which embarrassed the Rajput scion of the Mankapur Estate no end.
And Kirtiwardhan is likely to be a high- visibility presence at Modi’s meeting. However, it remains to be seen as to how the SP will deal with Anand since the Rajputs in the party are already seething over the attempts to woo the Brahmin voters.
BSP discard S P Singh Baghel is also set to join the Modi rally to publicly demonstrate his new found political loyalties.