Modi, Sonia to campaign in Kerala

Top political leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi are all set to hit the campaign trail for the assembly polls in Kerala.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and his predecessor Prakash Karat as well as former defence minister A.K. Antony are among those expected to arrive in the state ahead of the polls on May 16.

Modi is expected to address five election rallies in the first week of May at five places where the BJP is expecting to perform well.

The BJP is yet to open its account in the-140 member Kerala assembly. In the last outing, the BJP had finished second in three constituencies and it expects to have its first member in the assembly this time.

Sonia Gandhi is slated to arrive on May 9 and address two elections meetings, while her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi will arrive on May 12 and address four rallies.

Congress leader and former chief minister A.K. Antony begins his state-wide programme on May 1. He will address rallies, and spend a day each in all the 14 districts of the state.

--IANS

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