Delhi elections: PM Modi to address rally in Karkardooma today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will address his first rally for the Delhi elections in Karkardooma. The rally will be held at the CBD ground at around 2 PM today.

The PM, who is BJP's star campaigner for the Delhi Assembly polls, will address another rally in southwest Delhi's Dwarka on Tuesday. "One rally of the Prime Minister will be held in East Delhi at Karkardooma on February 3. The other rally will be held in Dwarka on February 4," a senior party leader had said.

With less than a week remaining for the Delhi elections, parties have intensified their campaign. BJP has always banked upon PM Modi for state elections. Monday's rally can be seen as a final push to woo the undecided voters.

"The dates have been chosen as the BJP wants to utilise the Prime Minister when the campaign is at its peak," sources quoted by Zee News said. 

Last year in December, Modi began BJP's campaign for Delhi elections in a rally at Ramlila Maidan, where he raised questions on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party's governance and its failure to contain the pollution levels in the capital. He also attacked the opposition for spreading misinformation on the recently enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Senior party leaders including Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda have launched an intensive campaign with back to back rallies in the national capital.

Last week, the party released its election manifesto, called the 'Delhi Sankalp Patra' in the presence of Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Prakash Javadekar, Harsh Vardhan, and other BJP MPs.

The manifesto includes promises on issues like women's safety, better road connectivity, housing and development, and transgender issues. It also promised to sort the issue of unauthorised colonies in the national capital.

The BJP had driven 49 buses across Delhi, campaigning for the elections, and asking the Delhi populace for their suggestion on what to include in the manifesto. It is being said that the strategy had been adopted by the BJP's Delhi unit to better understand the demands that the people of the Union Territory have from their government.

Delhi Assembly elections will be held on February 8 while counting of votes will be conducted on February 11. 

The ruling AAP is locked in a triangular contest with the BJP and the Congress but is favourite to retain the Union Territory. 

The Kejriwal-led AAP had won 67 seats in the 70-member assembly in 2015 assembly elections, defying all expectations. While the party hopes to repeat its performance.