Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed off the Gujarat election campaign on Tuesday by flying on a seaplane from the Sabarmati riverfront to the Dharoi dam to pray at the Ambaji temple near there.
Mr. Modi addressed a whirlwind 34 meetings in 15 days, covering all districts of the State and ending the electioneering with a series of emotional tweets asking for votes in a State where he won three consecutive elections and which propelled him to the highest political office in India.
“Campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly elections 2017 ends. After three-and-a-half years, I got the honour to travel across the length and breadth of Gujarat to seek the blessings of the people. During my travels across Gujarat, the level of affection I have received is unparalleled in my 40 years of public life. This affection gives me strength and motivates me to devote all my time for India’s development,” he tweeted.
The tweets were timed for the 5 p.m. deadline for ending the campaigning.
In total, 42 leaders of the BJP addressed 550 public meetings in what is seen as the most significant State-level election before the Lok Sabha elections of 2019.
BJP president Amit Shah addressed 31 meetings since he started off on November 21 (with three rallies being cancelled because of Cyclone Ockhi).
The huge campaign exercise was sealed by Mr. Modi in a series of six tweets, which, sources said, “not only summed up the entire campaign for him but was also a heartfelt appeal to 6.5 crore Gujaratis for the upcoming polls”.
“The lies that our worthy opponents have spread, about Gujarat, its growth and about me personally is something I had never imagined. It is natural for every Gujarati to feel hurt. People of Gujarat will give a fitting reply to the negativity and lies of Opposition,” Mr. Modi said.
“With the Government of India and Gujarat working together, the strength rises manifold. This one-plus-one is not two but eleven and together we will take Gujarat to new heights,” he said.
