Will PM Narendra Modi try to upstage ex-Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan on his home turf?

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Samrat Phadnis

, TNNLast Updated: Oct 11, 2014, 01:54:00 PM IST

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Sources said the possibility of the BJP ending its state campaign with a rally in Karad has caught the Congress off-guard.

(This story originally appeared in

on Oct 10, 2014)

KOLHAPUR: After targeting NCP leader Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit on their home turf in Baramati, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit is planning to conclude its assembly election campaign by arranging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Karad, the hometown of former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

"We are yet to get a confirmation from the Prime Minister's Office, but we are trying to make it happen as the constituency is important for the BJP. We have exposed the inefficiency of the Congress-led state government. We want to conclude our campaign in Karad. We have started preparations, but everything depends on the PM's confirmation," senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde told TOI.

Sources said the possibility of the BJP ending its state campaign with a rally in Karad has caught the Congress off-guard. Chavan, who was on a tour of the state for three days, was in Saswad near Pune in the afternoon, and returned to Karad on Friday evening for a rally that was planned only on Thursday after word that the BJP had started preparations for Modi's rally at Shivaji stadium.

Sources told TOI that Chavan will increase the intensity of his campaign in the interiors of South Karad over the next two days and has planned public meetings on Saturday to ensure that the possible rally by the PM does no damage his voter base.

Close aides of Chavan, however, said, "He came back as per schedule and is holding public meetings as per plan."

Local BJP leaders said they have begun preparations for the rally at Shivaji stadium as confirmation may come at any moment. They said that they have convinced the state leadership that holding the rally at Karad will benefit not just Atul Bhosale the BJP's contestant against Chavan from Karad South, but will help all party candidates in Western Maharashtra.

While Tawde and senior party leaders are convinced, they are concerned about Modi's availability and the capacity of the stadium, which can accommodate 15,000 people.

Cuts short speech due to sore throat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short talk at his election rally at Brahmapuri in Chandrapur district as he was suffering from a sore throat. Modi, who barely spoke for nine minutes, apologized to the huge crowd of BJP workers for the short speech. He promised to come back after the elections are over.

Radio broadcast no violation: EC

The Election Commission said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's October 3 radio broadcast did not violate the model code of conduct. The EC told K C Mittal, the secretary of the legal cell of the AICC, that it did not find anything that constituted a violation of the code in the broadcast speech.

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