PM Narendra Modi to hold 2 rallies in Madhya Pradesh; BJP says it's start of campaign

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick-start BJP's Lok Sabha campaign in Madhya Pradesh with rallies on February 15 and 16, the party said here Sunday.

State BJP chief Rakesh Singh said Modi would address a public meeting at Hoshangabad on February 15 and at Dhar on February 16.

"The BJP will start its campaign in the state for coming Lok Sabha polls with these two rallies," he said, though the elections are yet to be announced.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had addressed a farmers' gathering in Bhopal Friday.

The BJP lost power in Madhya Pradesh to the Congress after 15 years in a closely contested Assembly election last November.

There are 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state. In 2014, the BJP had won 27 seats while the Congress managed to win only two.

The Congress won a by-election to the Ratlam Lok Sabha seat in 2015, increasing its tally by one.