Jammu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday for an election rally, marking his first campaign event in the union territory since the Assembly polls were announced. He will address a BJP rally in the Doda district, where elections for eight Assembly seats across three Chenab Valley districts are scheduled for September 18.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, PM Modi held a rally in Kishtwar district. Since then, residents of Doda have expressed a strong desire to see and hear from the Prime Minister, according to party sources. "The decision to hold the rally in Doda was made by the Prime Minister himself," said the sources.

Depending on his schedule, PM Modi may also address another rally in the Jammu division on the same day. The first phase of the elections will also see voting in parts of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

BJP sources believe that the Prime Minister's visit will significantly enhance the party's prospects in the union territory. A high alert has been issued across the Chenab Valley region, with security forces and police ensuring safety for both the Prime Minister and the large crowds expected at the rally.

The BJP has committed to having PM Modi campaign in every phase of the Assembly elections. The party is contesting all 43 Assembly seats in the Jammu division, where it previously had 25 MLAs.

On September 19, PM Modi is anticipated to visit the Valley for another BJP rally in Srinagar. The J&K Assembly elections are being conducted in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1, with the vote counting scheduled for October 8.

This will be the first Assembly election in J&K in a decade and the first since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. The previous PDP-BJP coalition government, led by Mehbooba Mufti, dissolved in June 2018 after the BJP withdrew its support. J&K was placed under Governor’s rule, and Governor Satya Pal Malik later dissolved the Assembly. On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated, leading to the bifurcation of the state into the union territories of J&K and Ladakh.

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