New Delhi: With Gujarat Assembly election drawing close, the three major parties — Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party — will kick off their last leg of campaigning today. ‘Diamond city’, Surat which sends 12 MLAs to the 182-member Assembly will see campaign rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal today.
Modi will address a public meeting at Mota Varachha in Surat after a 25-km road-show from the airport to the rally venue, said the local Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jagdish Patel, reported news agency PTI.
He will also hold public meetings in Bharuch’s Netrang and in Kheda district.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal will be on a 2-day visit to Surat, which for long has remained a stronghold of the BJP with the support of its textile and diamond industry and lakhs people associated with the sectors.
He is slated to hold town hall meetings with textile industry leaders as well as gem artisans, and address a public meeting at Yogi Chowk. The Delhi chief minister will also hold a roadshow in Katargam, state AAP general secretary Manoj Sorathiya said.
"Within Gujarat, Surat has today become the epicentre of AAP. Surat Municipal Corporation is today the largest civic body of Gujarat. As per our internal survey, AAP is leading in all 12 seats with more vote share than the BJP," Sorathiya claimed, adding those associated with textile and diamond industry were supporting his party, as per the PTI report.
Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge will also be on a two-day visit to the state and will hold public rallies in Narmada and Ahmedabad.
Gujarat will undergo polls in two phases, on December 1 and 5 while the results will be counted on December 8 along with Himachal Pradesh.
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