DAVANAGERE: With a clear focus to grab as many seats as possible in the third phase of polling to the Lok Sabha on May 7, the BJP is making an all-out effort to attract more voters and ensure that its candidates win with big numbers.
As a part of BJP’s programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the region across Sunday and Monday. “On April 28, PM Modi will address four rallies, starting with Belagavi at 10 am, Sirsi in Uttara Kannada at 12 pm, Davanagere at 3 pm, and Ballari at 4 pm. On April 29, he will address a rally in Bagalkot at 11 am,” stated former political secretary to the chief minister MP Renukacharya.
The BJP is in alliance with the JDS. The saffron party had swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. In fact, it had bagged all 14 seats in the North Karnataka region that are going to polls on May 7. The party wants to retain all these seats this time as well, riding on the Modi factor.
With the Congress gearing up for a tough fight with the BJP, the saffron party wants to consolidate votes in North Karnataka and ensure that all its candidates win the elections handsomely, hence, Modi’s visit is crucial.
Renukacharya said the party is expecting a crowd around 3 lakh people and there will be voters from Davanagere and Haveri-Gadag Parliamentary constituencies, who will be present at the venue. Besides, former CM BS Yediyurappa, Haveri-Gadag candidate Basavaraj Bommai, Davanagere candidate Gayathri Siddeshwara, and state BJP president BY Vijayendra will be present. Meanwhile, the Special Protection Group (SPG) conducted a mock drill, from the GMIT helipad to the government high school grounds in the city on Saturday. The entire convoy of the Prime Minister was reframed and the drill was conducted. Though the PM will not be holding any road show, citizens are expected to stand on both sides of the road on which Narendra Modi’s convoy will be passing, from the Helipad to the venue. Accordingly, sufficient security is already in place.