Shortly after commencing his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in Meerut, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to conduct an election meeting in Saharanpur on Saturday, followed by a roadshow in Ghaziabad, as per party sources.
PM Modi is expected to arrive in Saharanpur at 11:30 am. After leading the meeting in Saharanpur, he will proceed to Ajmer in Rajasthan, where he is set to address a public gathering. Later in the day, he will return to Uttar Pradesh for the Ghaziabad roadshow, scheduled to commence at 5:15 pm.
Saharanpur will vote in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, while Ghaziabad will cast its votes in the second phase on April 26.
Addressing a significant public rally in Churu, Rajasthan, on Friday, PM Modi likened the accomplishments of the Centre in the last decade to an appetizer, hinting that the main course was yet to come. “All that we have accomplished till now is just a trailer. These days, when we go to big hotels to eat, they bring in a few appetizers at first. Similarly, what Modi has done (till now) is an appetizer and the main course is yet to come. We have to take the country forward,” he expressed, underscoring the transformation witnessed under his leadership.
The state of Uttar Pradesh, with 80 Lok Sabha seats, will conduct polling across seven phases starting April 19. Meanwhile, Rajasthan will vote in two phases – April 19 and April 26, with 12 seats up for polling in the first phase and 13 in the second.
In the 2014 general elections, the BJP secured a significant victory in UP, winning 71 seats. However, in 2019, their tally decreased to 62 amid strong opposition from the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party. The BSP won 10 seats, while the SP secured 5.
Nevertheless, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) clinched a resounding victory in 2019, securing 303 seats, while the Congress managed only 52.
The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases, with nearly 97 crore eligible voters, as per the Election Commission (EC). Vote counting is scheduled for June 4.