J&K Polls: First By Any PM In 50 Years, Modi To Address Mega Rally In Doda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to sound the poll boggle in a mega rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Saturday. This marks the first visit to Doda in 42 years by any Prime Minister. Tight security measures have been put in place across the Doda and Kishtwar regions, especially following Friday’s encounter in Kishtwar, which claimed the lives of two army officers. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming rally is expected to boost BJP cadres and candidates in the Chenab Valley, where voting for eight Assembly seats in Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban districts is slated for September 18. Modi last addressed a BJP rally in Kishtwar during the 2014 Assembly elections, and since then, residents of Doda have been eagerly awaiting his return, a party leader said, reported PTI. 

“No Prime Minister has visited Doda in the past 50 years. But after the visit of PM Modi, a message will go that PM Modi has worked a lot, bringing remote areas on par with developed areas," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said while speaking to ANI. Singh noted that this will be the first visit by a Prime Minister to Doda in nearly 50 years. 

Polling dates are scheduled in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting on all 43 Assembly seats in the Jammu division. The results and counting of votes are slated for October 8. 

Jammu and Kashmir is set to witness its first Assembly election in a decade, and the first since the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A. The BJP, which dominated the Jammu region by securing all 25 seats in the 2014 Assembly polls, is aiming to maintain its stronghold in the upcoming elections. Last weekend, Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a rally in Jammu, followed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holding a poll rally in Ramban district on Sunday.