PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi To Hold Major Election Rallies in Delhi On May 18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold his first public meeting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in North East Delhi on Saturday evening. On the same day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will campaign in the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, marking his first election rally in the city just a week before Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats go to the polls on May 25.

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Virendra Sachdeva, along with the party candidate from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari, and other leaders, visited the PM’s rally site on Friday evening to review the preparations. Sachdeva stated, “PM Modi’s rally will be historic, and the enthusiasm of the workers will be visible to the public. A large number of people are expected to attend the rally.”

Tiwari added, “The PM is coming to guide us in North East Delhi, and it is a matter of pride for our region that Narendra Modi, who is a global leader, is coming to guide us. People of the region are very excited to see their popular PM, and everyone wants to see and hear him up close, so the rally will be historic, for which the Delhi BJP has made elaborate arrangements.”

According to Ghonda MLA Ajay Mahawar, “The PM is going to address a rally for the first time in Ghonda assembly constituency on Saturday at 4pm at DDA ground, Yamuna Khadar. He will seek the blessings of the people for Manoj Tiwari, the candidate from the North East Delhi constituency for the third time.”

Meanwhile, Delhi Congress leader Anil Bharadwaj mentioned, “Rahul Gandhi will address a massive public meeting for the Congress candidates of INDIA bloc at the Ramlila Ground, near the sports complex, Ashok Vihar, at 6pm on Saturday.”

A multi-layered security arrangement, involving the special protection group (SPG), Delhi Police’s security wing, and local police, will be in place during the Prime Minister’s rally at the DDA ground, according to two police officers involved in the security preparations.

Over 2,000 security and traffic personnel will be deployed at the venue to manage the crowd and traffic, ensuring the event proceeds without any incidents. One officer explained that all security measures, such as venue scanning and inspections by sniffer dogs, bomb detection, and disposal squads, will be finalized on Saturday before the rally begins.

The SPG commandos will handle the internal security cordon around the PM, with the Delhi Police’s PM security wing forming the second layer of protection. The outer security layers will be managed by city police and armed paramilitary forces, as described by the officer who preferred to remain anonymous.

The second officer noted that the Prime Minister will arrive at the venue by helicopter, directly after attending another election rally in Sonepat, Haryana. Delhi Police chief Sanjay Arora held a meeting with senior officers on Friday to review the security arrangements.