The Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to launch a six-month-long padayatra ‘En Mann, En Makkal’ (My Land, My People) this evening as it seeks a decisive mandate ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election to install party leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the PM for a third term. The poll campaign, which is to cover 234 assembly constituencies in the state, will be launched by the party’s senior national leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the temple town of Rameswaram, party state president K Annamalai announced in Madurai on Thursday.
“The campaign will be conducted in five phases in order to cover all the 39 Parliamentary constituencies and we have planned to conclude it on 11 January 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. After Amit Shahji’s inauguration, the campaign will commence from Rameswaram on July 29,” Annamalai told media persons yesterday.
Annamalai, who will lead the padayatra—covering over 1,770 km by foot and the remaining distance in the rural areas by vehicle—said at least one central minister would address each of the 10 major rallies that have been planned during the yatra.
“We will highlight the achievements of the Prime Minister and seek the people’s support to ensure the return of Modiji for a third successive term. We will also explain what the BJP has done for the betterment of the people, constituency-wise,” he said. About one lakh copies of the book, ‘What Did Modi Do’, will be distributed to the people, the BJP state chief said. The saffron party hopes to connect with the people and wean them away from the influence of the DMK, and bring them close to the BJP, said party state vice president Karu Nagarajan.