'Modi the trump card': BJP's carpet bombing agenda in poll-bound Gujarat

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has already started calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi its 'trump card' for the Gujarat assembly polls, and he will renew his campaigning in the state by addressing eight public rallies in the first half of next week.

But if Modi's blitzkrieg of rallies will begin on Monday, the BJP has put in place a plan to have its union ministers, chief ministers and senior leaders address at least one public rally in each of the 89 seats scheduled to vote in the first phase of the elections on December 9. The party has termed its plan "carpet bombing".

On Sunday, BJP workers across Gujarat plan to listen PM's 'Mann ki Baat' radio broadcast in public places over tea. The BJP hopes to highlight the "insulting" Congress' meme on social media that had described the PM as a 'chaiwala', tea seller.

"On the morning of November 26, we have organised 'Mann ki Baat, Chai ke Saath', where our workers will listen to the PM's broadcast at each of the 50,000 polling booths over tea," BJP Gujarat election in charge Bhupendra Yadav said.

The PM is scheduled to address eight rallies in the state from November 27 to 29 in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. In addition to the PM's rallies, top BJP leaders, chief ministers of BJP ruled states and cabinet ministers will also address public rallies on Sunday and Monday across the 89 of the 182 seats going to polls on December 9.

Each leader would address nearly five public meetings. Tribal leaders Jual Oram and Arjun Munda will address rallies in seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will also address public rallies. Of the cabinet ministers, Uma Bharti, Sushma Swaraj, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nitin Gadkari, Ravi Shankar Prasad and several others would be in Gujarat.