NEW DELHI: With Himachal Pradesh completing polling on Thursday, BJP leaders held a total of 197 public rallies in the hill state since nominations were filed for the 68-seat state assembly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed seven rallies in the state for the single phase elections, even as the maximum number of rallies were held by BJP chief Amit Shah. Quite a few elections rallies had to be called off at the last moment as weather conditions did not permit travel including take offs and landings of choppers and planes.
On Thursday morning, PM Modi urged voters to come out in good numbers. "Today polling is taking place in 'Devbhoomi' Himachal Pradesh. I urge all voters to take part in the mahaparva of democracy and vote in record numbers," he tweeted. The state has 50,25,941 voters and 337 candidates across parties were in the fray.
BJP sources say that the party is targeting a big mandate and not just simple majority victory, so that the impact resonates till the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which will make it easier for the party to be in control of most parts of the state and win maximum seats in the parliamentary polls.
BJP's chief ministerial candidate P K Dhumal addressed 35-odd rallies and Union minister J P Nadda, whose name was also in the reckoning for the post before the announcement came about addressed about 26 rallies in the state, even as some of their rallies also had to be called off for bad weather conditions.
Dhumal's son and party MP from Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur also campaigned extensively across his home state.
Among the many rallies addressed by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who is also seen as a caste leader, in the state that depends heavily on Thakur votes - considering both CM candidates in the fray Virbhadra Singh (Congress) and Dhumal (BJP) - two rallies that he addressed were in chief minister Virbhadra Singh's constituency Arki. BJP sources said the idea was to woo away Thakur votes from the Congress stalwart.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed seven rallies in the state for the single phase elections, even as the maximum number of rallies were held by BJP chief Amit Shah. Quite a few elections rallies had to be called off at the last moment as weather conditions did not permit travel including take offs and landings of choppers and planes.
On Thursday morning, PM Modi urged voters to come out in good numbers. "Today polling is taking place in 'Devbhoomi' Himachal Pradesh. I urge all voters to take part in the mahaparva of democracy and vote in record numbers," he tweeted. The state has 50,25,941 voters and 337 candidates across parties were in the fray.
BJP sources say that the party is targeting a big mandate and not just simple majority victory, so that the impact resonates till the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which will make it easier for the party to be in control of most parts of the state and win maximum seats in the parliamentary polls.
BJP's chief ministerial candidate P K Dhumal addressed 35-odd rallies and Union minister J P Nadda, whose name was also in the reckoning for the post before the announcement came about addressed about 26 rallies in the state, even as some of their rallies also had to be called off for bad weather conditions.
Dhumal's son and party MP from Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur also campaigned extensively across his home state.
Among the many rallies addressed by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who is also seen as a caste leader, in the state that depends heavily on Thakur votes - considering both CM candidates in the fray Virbhadra Singh (Congress) and Dhumal (BJP) - two rallies that he addressed were in chief minister Virbhadra Singh's constituency Arki. BJP sources said the idea was to woo away Thakur votes from the Congress stalwart.
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