Star campaigners to descend on Gujarat for more poll rallies

With the date of voting nearing, campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections has reached a fever pitch in Gujarat which will see more rallies of top politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in the next few days.

Besides Modi and Gandhi, the star campaigners for the BJP and the Congress, respectively, Union ministers Smriti Irani and Sushma Swaraj as well as Congress leaders Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sam Pitroda will address rallies and conferences in Gujarat, according to their parties.

The home state of Modi, which has 26 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in a single phase on April 23.

Modi will address four rallies in Gujarat over the next two days - in Himmatnagar, Surendranagar and Vallabh Vidyanagar Wednesday and in Amreli Thursday.

He will cover Surendranagar, Sabarkantha, Anand and Amreli parliamentary constituencies through the rallies to be held over the next two days.

Modi's last election rally in the state was at Junagadh on April 10.

Gandhi, who addressed a rally at Mahuva in Bhavnagar Monday, will again hit the campaign trail in Gujarat Thursday and Friday.

Irani will be in Gujarat Wednesday to address four public meetings - in Patan, Veraval, Gondal and Rajkot. During her visit, she is likely to take time out to offer prayers at the Somnath temple.

Swaraj will address a women's conference in Ahmedabad covering the Ahmedabad (West) parliamentary seat Thursday. Later in the day, she is scheduled to address a meeting of intellectuals in Jamnagar.

Cricket-turned-politician Sidhu addressed five rallies Tuesday in support of Congress candidates and will hold four more public meetings Wednesday at Patan, Kheda, Banaskantha and Ahmedabad.

Technocrat and Congress leader Pitroda will hold an interactive session with youngsters on the theme, 'Future India', in Ahmedabad Thursday.