Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Kerala and Tamil Nadu between March 15 and 18 ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In Kerala, the PM will campaign in Palakkad and Pathanamthitta constituencies on March 15 and 17. Reports say that the PM will also visit Salem, Kanniyakumari, and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu on March 15,16 and 18 respectively.
According to media reports, he will conduct a roadshow in Palakkad on March 15 and address a public meeting in Pathanamthitta on March 17.
The BJP candidates for Tamil Nadu have not been announced yet. According to sources, the PM’s visit can be attributed to BJP wanting to strike a deal with political parties in Tamil Nadu, such as the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). PM Modi is expected to hold meetings with them during this visit to the state.
Palakkad holds significance as an 'A' class Lok Sabha constituency for the BJP, having previously secured victories in the Municipal Corporation elections. C Krishna Kumar, the BJP’s state general secretary, is contesting from Palakkad and is regarded as a grassroots leader. Contesting against him is CPI(M)’s senior leader A Vijayaraghavan and Congress’ VK Sreekandan, who is also the sitting MP from the constituency.
On March 17, PM Modi is expected to return to Kerala to campaign for Anil K Antony, son of Congress veteran AK Antony, in the Pathanamthitta constituency. Anil Antony's defection to the BJP last year had been a significant political development. Anil is contesting against CPI(M) veteran Thomas Isaac and sitting Congress MP Anto Antony.
This marks PM Modi’s fourth visit to Kerala since January and the first visit after the announcement of NDA candidates' list for the state.
PM Modi's earlier visits to Kerala included attending a women's convention in Thrissur in January, various events in mid-January including actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi's daughter's wedding, and inaugurating space infrastructure projects at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram in February.