Narendra Modi to address rally in Vadodara on April 24

VADODARA: BJP nominee from Vadodara Lok Sabha seat, Narendra Modi will address a public rally here on Thursday.

"After filing his nomination papers from Varanasi on April 24, Modi will fly to Vadodara to address the public meeting," BJP city unit president Bharat Dangar said today.

This will be the first rally of Modi in Vadodara after he filed his nomination papers on April 9. Prior to hitting the campaign trail here, the BJP's PM nominee will also address public meetings in Amreli, Surendranagar and at several other places in Saurashtra on April 23. "The venue of his public meeting will be Polo Ground and the rally is scheduled to begin at 2000 hrs," he said.

Polo Ground has been a favourite venue since the BJP stalwarts like former PM Atal Bihavi Vajpayee, LK Advani and Modi himself had earlier addressed public meetings there. BJP sources said Modi's move to address rally in Vadodara soon after filing nomination papers in Varanasi was aimed at nipping in bud any discontent over the BJP's PM nominee giving a second preference to the constituency in his home state.

Modi is facing the AICC general secretary and Congress nominee Madhusudan Mistry for the Vadodara seat for which polls will be held on April 30, along with all the 26 seats in Gujarat.