LS polls: PM Modi to kick off Uttarakhand election campaign from Rudrapur

Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin the BJP's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Uttarakhand on Tuesday by addressing a rally in Rudrapur, which is part of the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar constituency.

More than one lakh people are likely to attend the rally, state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt said.

"Uttarakhand lives in the heart of the prime minister. The people of Uttarakhand also look forward to his visits eagerly," Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said.

During the last ten years the Centre has sanctioned many big projects for Uttarakhand and projects worth more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore are already in progress in the state, he said.

"We are lucky that he has chosen the primarily agricultural and industrial town of Rudrapur to begin his campaign from. We hope the BJP will win all the five seats in Uttarakhand again with an even bigger margin than in 2019," Dhami said.

Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bahuguna and Pradesh BJP general secretary Khilendra Chaudhry are the conveners for the PM's poll rally, state BJP media in-charge Manveer Chauhan said. Dhami, who is among the party's 40 star campaigners for the Lok Sabha polls has been holding roadshows and addressing public meetings in support of the party candidates for over a week now but campaigning is likely to gather momentum with the PM's Rudrapur rally.

Just a day after the PM's rally, BJP president JP Nadda will begin his tour of the state during which he will address public meetings in Pithoragarh under the reserved Almora Lok Sabha seat and Vikasnagar under the Tehri Garhwal constituency. On April 4, Nadda will hold a roadshow in Haridwar.

Union Minister of state for defence and tourism Ajay Bhatt is contesting from the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat, which he had won in 2019 defeating former chief minister Harish Rawat.

Ajay Tamta is contesting from Almora which he has been winning since 2014, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah from Tehri which she has held since 2012 bypoll and former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat from Haridwar.

Polling to the five Lok Sabha seats of Uttarakhand will be held in the first phase on April 19.