PM Modi to visit Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka today; Congress, left plan protest

Ahead of PM's visit to Andhra Pradesh, Congress and left parties are planning to hold protests against Narendra Modi.

Ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka today. (PTI)

New Delhi: Ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka today. He will inaugurate various projects at Guntur in Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, while he will unveil development projects in Karnataka's twin cities of Hubballi and Dharwad northwest region and address a BJP convention today. Ahead of PM's visit to Andhra Pradesh, Congress and left parties are planning to hold protests against Narendra Modi. They have also announced state-wide protests with empty vessels. It is the Prime Minister's first visit to the state after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) pulled out of the BJP-led NDA last year. In Karnataka, Modi will first lay the foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Dharwad) and dedicate the city distribution project in Dharwad and 1.5-tonne Mangaluru strategic petroleum facility (SPR) and the 2.5-tonne Padur SPR facility of the state-run Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL). The Prime Minister will also dedicate doubling of 18km Chikjajur-Mayakonda section railway line for passenger and freight services, and initiate the electrification work of 346-km Hospeta-Hubballi-Vasco da Gama line in this region. Party official S. Shantaram was quoted as saying, "Modi will launch the BJP's campaign for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May, as the party will contest in all the 28 parliamentary constituencies in the southern state." The party had won 17 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 general elections. (With inputs from agencies)