PM Modi to address rally in J&K’s Udhampur

Udhampur (J-K), Apr 12 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hit the campaign trail in Udhampur on Friday as a star campaigner for Union minister and BJP candidate Jitendra Singh and will address a mega rally here.

Singh is seeking re-election for a third consecutive time from the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat. Voting will take place in the first phase on April 19.

This is Modi’s third visit to Jammu and Kashmir in over one-and-a-half months. He addressed big rallies while inaugurating several development projects on February 20 and March 7 in Jammu and Srinagar capital cities.

“Prime Minister Modi is arriving in some time… We have a huge gathering coming to listen to him. People are enthusiastically waiting,” Singh told reporters.

BJP leaders claimed that over two lakh people will participate in the rally.

A multi-tier security ring has been put in place and security agencies have issued advisories and Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) for people attending the rally and the personnel deployed.

Officials said security personnel have been put on duty along the Jammu-Udhampur highway and vital junctions, and additional checkpoints have been set up.

Frisking has been intensified at major spots on the highway, they added.

Udhampur District Magistrate Saloni Rai on Thursday issued an order banning Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Udhampur to address a public meeting tomorrow and various necessary arrangements are being undertaken by the administration as per the SoP for the safe and secure conduct of the rally,” Rai said in the order.

“In view of the emerging security threats due to the recent trends of using drones as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by anti-national elements, it is imperative to strengthen security measures to maintain law and order,” she added.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Security, Shamsheer Hussain, also issued an advisory for people to arrive on time for smooth entry before the start of the programme.

The revocation of Article 370 has taken centre stage in the poll campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, more so in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency.

The seat will see a triangular fight with the Congress fielding Choudhary Lal Singh and the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) nominating three-time MLA G M Saroori.

Jitendra Singh retained the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in 2019, defeating Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh, the grandson of erstwhile Maharaja Hari Singh, by a margin of 3,53,272 votes. Lal Singh only got 19,049 votes.

In 2014, he defeated former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad by a margin of 60,976 votes.