Prime Minister Narendra Modi being garlanded during an election campaign rally ahead of Lok Sabha polls, in Meerut (PTI Photo)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his Lok Sabha campaign in Uttar Pradesh from Meerut on Sunday, promising that the forthcoming government would make “big decisions” within the first hundred days of taking office.
He said that the public had merely seen a “trailer” in the past 10 years of his government accomplishing what was previously deemed impossible. He assured that the pace of development would be tremendous in the next five years.
With Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Chaudhary Jayant Singh present on the dais, the Prime Minister spoke of his government awarding farmer leader Jayant’s grandfather, Chaudhary Charan Singh, the Bharat Ratna. He also discussed his government’s initiatives to ensure that sugarcane farmers of the region received better prices for their produce.
He introduced the BJP’s candidates for the western Uttar Pradesh seats, including actor Arun Govil, the party’s Meerut candidate. Govil is known for playing the part of Ram in the television serial Ramayana in 1987-88.
Modi stated that his government was working to prepare a road map for the next five years to impart greater momentum to development. He urged people to vote for a Lok Sabha tally of more than 400 for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) if they wished to see a government that would take significant decisions to build a developed India, send the corrupt to jail, deliver prosperity for farmers, and empower women and provide more opportunities for the poor and youth. The prime minister said the money seized from the corrupt would be returned to the people if he were to return to power.
A positive momentum built in western Uttar Pradesh, which has its polling in the first two phases, is vital to the BJP’s performance in the rest of the state and achieving mission 400 plus for the NDA. Sixteen of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 constituencies will vote in phases one and two of the Lok Sabha elections, on April 19 and April 26 respectively, including western Uttar Pradesh constituencies of Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr and Aligarh.
The prime minister reminded the people that he had launched his election campaigns in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and 2019 from Meerut. In 2014, Modi, the Gujarat chief minister at the time, addressed a public meeting in Meerut on February 2. In 2019, the Prime Minister addressed a gathering in Meerut on March 28.
The BJP won 71 (and ally Apna Dal won two) in 2014, sweeping the western Uttar Pradesh seats. However, it had less success in the region five years later, with the Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) joining forces and putting up a stronger fight. The BJP lost Nagina, Rampur, Amroha, Saharanpur, Moradabad and Bijnor. However, for 2024, the RLD is now with the BJP and will contest the Baghpat and Bijnor seats.
At the meeting, Modi said his government achieved what was previously considered impossible, including constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya, repealing Article 370, passage of the women’s reservation Bill, and other such steps.
First Published: Mar 31 2024 | 8:39 PM IST
