The Uttar Pradesh unit of Bharatiya Janata Party is projecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Rae Bareli on December 16 as the first step towards kick-starting the campaign for 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the parliamentary constituency of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey said that the Prime Minister would highlight the lack of development in the region and how the BJP attempted to change its face. 

The Prime Minister is likely to flag off 900 newly-built coaches from Modern Rail Coach Factory at Lalganj town Rae Bareli the same day.

Pandey said that during his brief visit, the Prime Minister would address a public meeting at Rae Bareli, expected to be attended by tree lakh people. Preparations for the rally have already begun.

Having faced an aggressive resurgent Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the BJP brass realises that the road to 2019 poll is not going to be easy. The party will also face a formidable challenge in UP as Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party are set for an electoral alliance.

In this backdrop, the BJP mandarins, especially party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi, probably want to keep the cadre in high spirit and the Rae Bareli visit fits into this perspective. It will give out a message that the BJP is neither on the defensive nor lacking in aggression.

BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan, however, said, “No constituency or area is anyone’s fiefdom. Rae Bareli and Amethi have lacked on development for decades. The Prime Minister’s visit to the town is in sync with our promise to bring development back to this region.”

After Rae Bareli, the Prime Minister will visit Prayagraj the same day for reviewing Kumbh Mela preparations. Later on December 29, Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi and address a Rajbhar rally in east UP town of Ghazipur.