Kerala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend a public rally in Thiruvananthapuram on March 7, the concluding day of the state-wide Yatra of Bharatiya Janata Party, said BJP leaders. The Yatra, to be led by state BJP chief K.Surendran, will be flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Kasargode on February 21.

This is being seen as the launch of the BJP's election campaign for the Assembly polls, likely to be held in April/May. The state BJP leadership is buoyant about the Yatra as all the top national BJP leaders, including Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others are expected to take part.

Among those who are expected to take part in the Yatra include national BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smrithi Irani, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

State general secretary M.T. Ramesh said the slogan of the Yatra with the polls on the anvil is 'A New Kerala' free from corruption. "We are expecting a bevy of our top national leaders and confirmation of the visit of Modi is awaited. This Yatra is basically the curtain-raiser event to launch our election campaign. At the moment there is no talk of the list of candidates as it will be taken up at the appropriate time," said Ramesh.

For the state unit of the BJP, the Assembly polls are going to be an acid test to see whether it is able to increase its tally from one seat in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.

Party veteran and former Union Minister O. Rajagopal stunned all when he won from the Nemom Assembly seat in the state capital and opened the account of the BJP in the 2016 polls.

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