PM Modi back in UP today; may sound poll bugle with mega rally in Bulandshahr

With months left for the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may launch his election campaign in Uttar Pradesh with a rally in Bulandshahr on Thursday, said reports quoting BJP sources.

As part of the Prime Minister's visit, the BJP has planned a massive show by bringing party workers from the entire Meerut administrative division comprising districts like Meerut, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad and Baghpat to Bulandshahr.

As many as five lakh people are expected to attend the public meeting in Navada village. "It is  Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first rally in Uttar Pradesh after Pran Pratishtha. The BJP has mobilised its resources for the success of the rally and organised a fortnight-long public contact drive in West U.P. to ensure that people come in strength for the PM’s rally," Uttar Pradesh BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary said.

Meanwhile, Modi's choice of Bulandshahr, the bastion of former chief minister the late Kalyan Singh, hints at the party's plans to highlight faith along with development. It was during the tenure of Kalyan Singh that the Babri Masjid was brought down by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.

Modi will inaugurate a medical college named after Kalyan Singh along with development projects worth over Rs 19,000 crore in Bulandshahr.

Notably, the BJP holds eight out of 14 seats in western Uttar Pradesh, with defeats in six constituencies in 2019. The Prime Minister is reportedly preparing to turn the tide in these seats in the 2024 elections. 

The BJP will also bring focus to its pro-development credentials with Modi launching development projects worth more than Rs 19,100 crore in Bulandshahr. This includes the 173-km-long double-line electrified section between New Khurja and New Rewari on the dedicated freight corridor (DFC). The new DFC section is important as it establishes crucial connectivity between the western and eastern freight corridors. This section is also known for its remarkable feat of engineering as it has a one-km-long double-line rail tunnel with high-rise electrification, which is the first of its kind in the world. 

Modi will also inaugurate the fourth rail line connecting Mathura-Palwal and Chipiyana Buzurg-Dadri sections and multiple road development projects as well. Indian Oil's Tundla-Gawaria pipeline and an "integrated industrial township at Greater Noida" (IITGN) will also be inaugurated.

The IITGN's strategic location ensures unparalleled connectivity as other infrastructure for multi-modal connectivity is present in the vicinity of this project, the officials said.