Gujarat elections: Modi, Kejriwal to address rallies in Surat on Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal will be speaking at campaign rallies on Sunday in Gujarat's 'diamond city' Surat which sends 12 MLAs to the state's 182-member Assembly.

Voting will be held in Surat in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections on December 1. 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. He is also scheduled to address three rallies at Netrang in Bharuch and in Kheda district.

Kejriwal will be on a two-day tour of 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 will hold townhall 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.

AAP has fielded its state unit president Gopal Italia from Katargam, and former Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leaders Alpesh Kathiriya and Dharmik Malaviya from Varaccha Road and Olpad, respectively.