Come Monday when Uttar Pradesh will witness active political activities with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national vice-president Congress Rahul Gandhi holding separate rallies ostensibly showing their strength before state goes to polls early next year.
While PM will address Parivartan rally in Kanpur on Monday afternoon, while at the same time Rahul Gandhi will address anti-demonetisation rally called ‘Jan Akrosh maharally,’ at Jaunpur - about 300 km away south east of Kanpur.
This would be sixth and last Parivartan rally. His last rally – fifth in the series in Bahraich was cancelled after his helicopter could not land due to bad weather following which he delivered speech over phone. UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak, who is camping in Kanpur to oversee the arrangements claimed that the meeting would be an historic one where PM will give a befitting reply to the opposition who are opposing the demonetisation move.
It is expected that Modi will sit on the same chair which he used during launching of his campaign for the 2014 lok Sabha polls by addressing first ‘Vijay Sankhnad’ rally in Kanpur on October 19, 2013. That was his first pre-poll election meeting in as the BJP’s PM candidate. later, BJP went on to win 71 out of 80 seats in the elections from UP. “Workers believe that chair to be lucky for PM. They believe if PM sits on the chair again at the ‘Parivartan Yarta’ rally, it will bring positive change for the party in 2017 elections and BJP will win the most number of seats,” Pathak said.
A crowd of around five lakh people are expected to attend the rally, which will be held at the Railways Ground in Nirala Nagar. It plans to mobilise people from 14 Assembly segments of Kanpur and its adjoining districts.
In Jaunpur the Congress is gearing up for show of strength for Rahul Gandhi’s rally. Congress vice-president and media in charge Satyadeo Tripathi said that supporters from nearby districts of Varanasi, Ghazipur, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Chandauli and Azamgarh districts will attend the rally.
AICC general secretary Gulam Nabi Azad and UP president Raj Babbar are also expected to participate in the Jan Akrosh Maharally to be held at the VRP Inter college ground in Jaunpur confirmed Congress spokesperson and local MlA Nadeem Javed here today.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier held a road show in Jaunpur in September last as part of his ‘Kisan Yatra and Khat Sabha’ from Deoria to Delhi.
The Jaunpur rally of Rahul is supposed to be a significant one particularly after his attack on PM over demonetization, alleging that he has ‘information on corruption by the PM’ who is ‘terrified’ and therefore not allowing him to speak in Parliament.
Gandhi is expected to reach Varanasi by special flight at 1305 hrs and from there he will go to Jaunpur by road. After addressing the rally between 1430 hrs to 1530 hours, the Congress vice-president will take the same route to reach Varanasi to return to New Delhi.