Following his intensive campaigning in Jharkhand and nearby regions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead additional campaign events on Sunday in Etawah, a significant stronghold of the Samajwadi Party (SP), along with Dhaurahra and Ayodhya in the BJP-governed state of Uttar Pradesh. Concluding his planned public gatherings in Jharkhand and Bihar, PM Modi arrived in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening, conducting an extensive roadshow in Kanpur, accompanied by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Around 2:45 pm, he is scheduled to speak at a public gathering in Etawah, followed by another meeting later in the day at Dhaurahra around 4:45 pm. Additionally, during his visit, Prime Minister Modi will engage in prayer and perform puja at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya around 7 pm. After seeking blessings from Ram Lalla, who was ceremonially enthroned in his presence, PM Modi will lead a nearly 2-kilometer-long roadshow in Ayodhya.
PM Modi’s roadshow along the ‘Ram Path’ will commence from Sugriva Fort and extend to Lata Chowk. The route has been segmented into 40 blocks. The event is expected to showcase the participation of Sindhis, Punjabis, farmers, and women adorned in their traditional attire. This Sunday’s visit to Ayodhya will mark his first since the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla at His birthplace on January 22 of this year.
Ahead of PM Modi’s visit, Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of the Ram Temple, “Grand preparations are underway ahead of the Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Ayodhya for a darshan of Ram Lalla and a roadshow. Ram Lalla Darshan Marg Gate no 11 has been decorated with flowers. Giant hoardings of the PM have gone up along the road. The roadshow is to hold on a 2-km stretch from Birla Mandir to Lata Mangeshkar Chowk. Platforms have been set up at various points on this stretch as part of the grand reception to the PM. Ram Lalla Darshan Marg has also been decked up.”
“This is his (PM Modi’s) first visit to Ayodhya after the ‘Pran Pratishtha’. He will visit the sanctum sanctorum and hold a roadshow thereafter till the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk. The seers and mahants of Ayodhya will accompany him during the roadshow,” he added.
Preparations are in full swing to give Prime Minister Modi a grand reception upon his arrival in Ayodhya. Security measures have been intensified due to the significant influx of devotees into the temple town since the early hours of Sunday, ahead of his visit.
A devotee of Lord Ram, Yashwant Singh, told ANI, “What PM Modi has given to this nation will remain with us for centuries as heritage. We pray that PM Modi returns for a third term and meets the target of ‘ab ki baar 400 paar’ (400-plus seats this time).”
Discussing the security arrangements in the sacred city, Ayodhya’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Raj Karan Nayyar, mentioned that the region has been meticulously divided into zones, sectors, and sub-sectors in anticipation of PM Modi’s arrival.
“Based on directions from the top, we have divided the area into zones, sectors and sub-sectors. We have briefed our personnel on the security protocol to be followed also also marked their duty points to make sure they know about their responsibilities at the places they have been assigned to secure,” Nayyar told ANI on Saturday evening.
The temple entry gates and approach roads have been adorned with flowers and flags in anticipation of Prime Minister Modi’s visit. In addition to the police, the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and commandos are overseeing all arrangements. Security measures at the airport have also been intensified. Ayodhya is set to vote in the fifth phase on May 20 as part of the Lok Sabha elections, which are being conducted in seven phases until June 1. Vote counting for all seats is slated for June 4.
The parliamentary elections in Uttar Pradesh, which boasts the largest number of seats in the Lower House at 80, are being conducted across all seven phases. The voting for 16 seats concluded in the initial two phases. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP emerged as the dominant force, securing 62 out of 80 seats in the state, with an additional 2 seats won by ally Apna Dal (S). Mayawati’s BSP managed to secure 10 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav’s SP secured only five. The Congress, on the other hand, was reduced to just a single seat.