The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing for a show of strength in Kozhikode with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kozhikode on Friday.
This will be his first election rally — Vijay Sangalp — in the State ahead of the Lok Sabha polls on April 23.
The visit also assumes significance in the context of Congress president Rahul Gandhi visiting Kozhikode city for a stopover to file nomination from the neighbouring Wayanad constituency.
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After a massive roadshow at Kalpetta town, he had stepped up his attack on Mr. Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for criticising him for contesting in Wayanad and aligning with the Indian Union Muslim League.
Besides, the visit of Mr. Modi comes when the BJP campaign is yet to pick up momentum in Kozhikode and Vadakara. The absence of K.P. Prakash Babu, who has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, has affected the electioneering work of the party in Kozhikode.
Further, CPI (M) leaders have also alleged that the Congress and the BJP had struck a secret deal to defeat the LDF candidate in Kozhikode.
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Official sources said that tight security has been put in place in the city as well as on Kozhikode beach where Mr. Modi would address BJP workers from Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kannur, Kasaragod and Palakkad districts. The NDA candidates in these districts and leaders would take part in the rally.
As scheduled , he would fly down at the Calicut International Airport from Karnataka at around 5 p.m. and by road he would reach the venue.
He would return by road and leave in a special aircraft for New Delhi from the Calicut airport by late evening.
BJP national executive committee member P.K. Krishnadas, who reviewed the programme on Wednesday, said that elaborate arrangements had been made for the visit of the Prime Minister.
BJP national president Amit Shah would campaign in Wayanad, he said.