PM Modi to address rallies in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry ahead of April 6 polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday address rallies in poll-bound Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where elections will be held on April 6. According to the schedule shared by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Prime Minister's day of rallies will start from Kerala where he will address a public meeting in Palakkad at 11am. The BJP has fielded 'Metro man' E Sreedharan, who recently joined the party, from the constituency.

When he last visited Kerala in February, PM Modi laid the foundation stones for several development projects. These projects were part of the government's vision Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).

Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place in Palakkad for the Prime Minister's rally.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Sabarimala temple are the key issues among others in the state. Addressing an election rally in Kottayam on Sunday, senior BJP leader and Union defence minister Rajnath Singh said the party will fulfill all promises made during elections. Singh said that the BJP will implement the CAA and three central laws to reform the farming sector.

The BJP is contesting the election on 115 of the 140 seats in Kerala. The party is hoping to improve its tally from the last election, when it just won one seat - Nemom - in state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The state is currently ruled by Left Democratic Front (LDF).

The Prime Minister will then go to Tamil Nadu, where he is scheduled to address a rally in Dharapuram at 12.50pm. The BJP's state unit president L Murugan is contesting the assembly election from Dharapuram. PM Modi launched the party's election campaign from the constituency on February 25.

The BJP has decided to fight the election with its alliance partner and ruling party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will be held in a single phase and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.

The next stop in PM Modi's itinerary is Puducherry, where he will address a public meeting at 4.35pm. This will be the Prime Minister's second visit to Puducherry to campaign for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates. He addressed a poll rally in the union territory on February 25 after unveiling several centrally-sponsored development projects.

The AINRC, which heads the NDA in Puducherry, is contesting from 16 of the total 30 constituencies, while other constituents BJP and AIADMK are seeking election from nine and five seats, respectively.

AINRC leader and former chief minister N Rangasamy is seeking election from two segments - Thattanchavady and Yanam.