PM Modi will kick off the rally along with state leaders.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to formally launch its bid to retain power in Gujarat for the fifth consecutive term by holding a mega rally in Ahmedabad on October 16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the saffron party's biggest voter-catcher, will share the stage with several national and state leaders that day.
While Modi is expected to visit the state on October 7 also, the real campaign will kick-start from the Ahmedabad rally only. The party, which won 116 seats in the 182-member Assembly in 2012, is trying to improve its tally – it has already announced that it is targetting 150-plus seats.
Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls are slated to be held before year-end. The rally will also see the culmination of the 15-day twin Gujarat Gaurav Yatras starting tomorrow – one starting from Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace Porbandar (on October 2) and second one passing through Surat, Vadodara and Nadiad, the birth place of Sardar Patel.
While Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and BJP state unit chief Jitu Vaghani will be part of the Porbandar-Ahmedabad leg of the rally, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel is likely to lead the Surat-Ahmedabad stretch.
Sources in the party told DNA, each "panna pramukh" (booth-incharge) has been asked to bring at least 20 persons to the rally, which the party hopes will be the biggest-ever seen in the state in several years.
"The state has over 50,000 booths and if each panna pramukh bring 20 persons, the size of the crowd will cross 10 lakh. But, we expect the actual number of much more," said a senior BJP functionary involved in the arrangements for the rally.
Three central ministers — Narendra Singh Tomar, Dr Jitendra Singh and P P Choudhary – and former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank – have been told to stay put in the state to ensure the success of the rally.
They have also been told to take stock of the preparations by the state unit to ensure "thumping victory".
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who heads the central team, is also expected to visit the state at least twice before the rally.
While the party has a solid support base among voters in the state, it is facing some heat due to opposition by the dominant Patidars, once it strongest supporters, who are in a bitter confrontation with the party over their demand for reservation in government jobs and education.
BJP IN GUJARAT
- The BJP won 116 seats in the 182-member Assembly in 2012
- It has announced that it is targeting 150-plus seats this time
- The mega rally will be held in Ahmedabad on October 16
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