PM Modi to address rally in J-K's Doda today, first PM to visit in 50 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Doda in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday to address a public rally for the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory.

The elections in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled for September 18, September 25, and October 1, with counting set for October 8.

Earlier on Friday, Union Minister Jitendra Singh visited the venue and reviewed preparations for the public meeting on September 14.

Singh noted that this will be the first visit by a Prime Minister to Doda in nearly 50 years.

"There is a lot of excitement among the public as PM Modi has given priority to remote areas...In the past 10 years, a lot of development has taken place in Doda. No Prime Minister has visited Doda in the past 50 years. But after the visit of PM Modi, a message will go that PM Modi has worked a lot, bringing remote areas on par with developed areas," he said while speaking to ANI.

Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of ten years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014. Jammu and Kashmir has 90 Assembly constituencies, including 7 reserved for SCs and 9 reserved for STs.

According to the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible voters.

In the previous Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12.

The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the latter withdrew support to the then-Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti.

These upcoming elections will be the first in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.