PM Modi to address mega meet of BJP workers in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mega congregation of BJP workers here in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Monday. The ‘Karyakarta Mahakumbh’ is being organised on the birth anniversary of Jana Sangh co-founder Deendayal Upadhyaya to mark the formal culmination of the BJP’s ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatras’ that crisscrossed the length and breadth of the state, party leaders said. This will be the third visit of the prime minister to Madhya Pradesh in the past 45 days where the ruling party is locked in a close contest with Congress. According to sources, the BJP has set an ambitious target of gathering 10 lakh people for the ‘Mahakumbh’ event being projected as a show of strength by the saffron party. As per the programme schedule, Modi will land at the Bhopal airport at around 10:55 am and will fly to the Jamboree Maidan helipad in a chopper. He will address the public meeting after reaching the venue at around 11:30 am. “Modiji is going to address ‘Karyakarta Mahakumbh’ at Jamboree Maidan in Bhopal on September 25, the birth anniversary of Deendayal Upadhyaya,” MP BJP chief VD Sharma told PTI. He said lakhs of BJP workers are expected to reach the venue. “They are very excited to hear Modiji,” Sharma added. The BJP had rolled out five yatras to reach out to the masses early this month, with party president JP Nadda flagging off the first Yatra from Chitrakoot in Satna on 3 September. These yatras have covered 223 out of the total 230 assembly segments. The formal culmination of these yatras would mark the mega workers’ meet, party leaders said. In the run-up to the MP assembly polls, the BJP has come up with the slogan “abki bar 150 par” (victory in more than 150 seats). Ahead of the mega meet of BJP workers, Bhopal is dotted with large cut-outs of Modi. Posters of senior BJP leaders have also been put up at various spots. Union Minister and BJP’s MP election in-charge Bhupendra Yadav, Union minister and MP Election Management Committee convenor Narendra Singh Tomar, state BJP chief VD Sharma, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with other leaders went to the Maidan and reviewed the preparations on Sunday. With the Jan Ashirwad (blessings of people) Yatra, the BJP has highlighted development and welfare schemes under the Chouhan government. As the battle to set up narratives for the upcoming elections is growing intense, the Congress has also launched ‘Jan Akrosh Yatra’ to target the “failures” of the BJP government. In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP missed another shot to power by a whisker as Congress won 114 out of 230 seats, restricting the saffron party to 109. The Congress under Kamal Nath formed a coalition government with the support of Independents, BSP, and SP. However, the dispensation collapsed after 15 months when a string of Congress MLAs led by Jyotiraditya Scindia, now a Union minister, joined the saffron party, paving the way for the return of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the chief minister.