Gujarat polls: Modi, Kejriwal to address rallies in Surat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal will address campaign rallies on Sunday in Gujarat’s ‘diamond city’ Surat, which sends 12 MLAs to the state’s 182-member Assembly.

Voting will be held in Surat in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections on December 1.

Modi will address a public meeting at Mota Varachha in Surat after a 25-km road-show from the airport to the rally venue, local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagdish Patel said on Saturday.

The PM is also scheduled to address rallies at Netrang in Bharuch district and Mehmedabad in Kheda district.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal will be on a two-day tour of Surat, which for long has remained a stronghold of the BJP with the support of its textile and diamond industry and lakhs people associated with the sectors.

He will hold townhall meetings with textile industry leaders as well as gem artisans, and address a public meeting at Yogi Chowk. Kejriwal will also hold a roadshow in Katargam, state AAP general secretary Manoj Sorathiya said.

”Within Gujarat, Surat has today become the epicentre of AAP. The Surat Municipal Corporation is today the largest civic body of Gujarat. As per our internal survey, the AAP is leading in all 12 seats with more vote share than the BJP,” Sorathiya claimed, adding that those associated with the textile and diamond industries were supporting his party.

The AAP has fielded its state unit president Gopal Italia from Katargam, and former Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leaders Alpesh Kathiriya and Dharmik Malaviya from Varaccha Road and Olpad, respectively.