SHIMLA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to Himachal Pradesh on September 24 to sound the election trumpet, less than four months after speaking to a sizable crowd at Shimla's historic Ridge. 

This time, he is coming to Mandi, the district where Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur hails from, to introduce the BJP's campaign for the 68-member assembly elections set for the end of this year.

State party chief Suresh Kumar Kashyap said, the Prime Minister will address a "Maha Garjana Rally" of approximately one lakh young people in Mandi who are all under the age of 40 on Thursday. Modi will speak at public gatherings in Bilaspur and Chamba town after Mandi at a later time. Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda, two BJP leaders, will also make separate trips to the state. 

For Prime Minister's September 24 rally, the youth belonging to 7881 booths spread over 68 assembly constituencies would be invited to participate. 

"For the Modi rally, admission cards will be distributed to all participants under the age of 40. No other party worker would be allowed to attend the gathering physically," said the BJP chief Kashyap. He said, the whole BJP cadre has begun making arrangements for Modi's gathering. "Every BJP employee would work hard to ensure the success of the event." On September 17, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju will speak at an advocates' programme in Shimla, and Union minister Smriti Irani will address a public gathering in Sundernagar. Kashyap said, Prime Minister Modi and Himachal have a special tie, and he has always prioritised the state's growth.

Prime Minister Modi's attachment to Himachal can be measured from the fact that Modi-ji has visited Himachal as PM most of the times" . The Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and other BJP leaders are working tirelessly to make the visit a memorable occasion soon before the announcement of the assembly elections.
Previously, on December 27, 2021, Modi visited Mandi, widely known as "Chhoti Kashi," where he officially opened and lay the foundation stone for hydropower projects costing Rs 11,000 crore. The occasion marked the end of the BJP government's four-year term.

On May 31, Modi reached the capital of Himachal Pradesh to speak to recipients of government programmes in honour of the eighth anniversary of his government from the famed Ridge, which served as the promenade for the British colonial authorities when this town served as their summer capital. Later, he addressed a public meeting.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is working hard to gain support ahead of the elections, but the political landscape in Himachal Pradesh appears to be essentially bipolar at this point, a tug-of-war between the Congress and the saffron party, the two traditional archrivals.

Since the Congress has historically held power in Himachal Pradesh, Shanta Kumar became the state's first non-Congress chief minister in 1977, when the Janata Party took office.

The Congress appointed its 3-time MP Pratibha Singh, the widow of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh, as the state unit president in April.

In an effort to unseat the current Jai Ram Thakur-led government, Pratibha Singh has directed the election campaign in contrast to her husband, who had a direct connection even at the grassroots.

The Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which will benefit 2,25,000 employees and is a key vote bank, will be reinstated, the Congress is relying on this pledge.

Congress is primarily counting on a tsunami of anti-incumbency against the current administration. It won three Assembly and one parliamentary seat in the October 2021 by-polls.

Chief Minister Thakur considers good governance with no corruption, which is key for economic growth, and no witch hunting are the mantras for his success. Unprecedented development will remain the party's main poll plank for this year's Assembly polls.

With 44 seats in the 68-member Assembly, the BJP had secured a majority in the 2017 Assembly elections.

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