UP in focus of Modi, Shah events for govt's 2nd anniversary

New Delhi, May 17: Uttar Pradesh will be at the centre of BJP's celebration of Narendra Modi government's second anniversary with the Prime Minister set to address a rally in the state on May 26 and almost all senior ministers scheduled to visit it during an over 15-day exercise.

The state, which the party had swept in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is crucial to its electoral fortunes and it is investing a lot of political resources there to return to power in the Assembly polls scheduled for early next year.

Modi is likely to address the rally in Saharanpur, a Western UP district, and party chief Amit Shah too will take part in multiple events in the state during the period.

"Most of the ministers will go to the state. They will address public meetings, press conferences, convention of workers besides holding other events as part of the exercise," BJP General Secretary Arun Singh said.

Aiming to ensure the presence of senior party leaders and ministers in maximum states, the party has constituted about 30 teams of four to five members each and every team will visit six places in as many states, he said.

One team will include a cabinet minister, a minister of state, one party office-bearer apart from a member or two from the state unit concerned.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Patna, Dehradun, Mumbai and Pathankot and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will go to Bhopal, Lucknow and Amritsar among other places. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to visit Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad and Chandigarh among other places.

The Lok Sabha MPs, including ministers, have also been asked to vist their constituencies. The party has prepared a list of government's "achievements" which will be the main talking points of these leaders.

PTI