Jabalpur:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kicked off the BJP’s campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh with a roadshow in Jabalpur.

He was accompanied by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state Public Welfare Minister Rakesh Singh and the party’s Jabalpur Lok Sabha candidate Ashish Dubey.

The roadshow started from Shaheed Bhagat Singh crossing point at around 6:30 pm and culminated at Adi Shankaracharya crossing point in Gorakhpur district at 7:15 pm.

Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Grand roadshow in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.#Modi’s status in the minds of parliamentarians
https://t.co/gEoahgRnVB

—Bharatiya Janata Party (@BJP4India) April 7, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the state for the first time since the Lok Sabha polls were announced. Yadav and others carried the BJP’s poll symbol “lotus” as their saffron floats moved during the roadshow, attracting large crowds.

Many people lined up on both sides of the route and clicked photos and took videos on their phones.

Some of them carried “Mera Ghar Modi Ka Ghar” and “Mera Pariwar Modi Ka Pariwar” placards.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has launched a campaign to highlight that the people of the country include Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s family, after top leader Lalu Yadav said that Prime Minister Modi talks about dynastic politics but does not have his own family.

Tribal groups performed various dances on the way, including ‘Badhai Nritya’, a dance form in Bundelkhand district of the state that is used to commemorate marriages, childbirth and other happy occasions.

A BJP leader said special arrangements have been made to pay floral tributes to Prime Minister Modi when the roadshow passes through Gorakhpur market.

Jabalpur is part of the state’s Mahakoshal district, which also includes Chhindwara, the only Lok Sabha seat that the BJP failed to win in the 2019 polls. The ruling party swept the remaining 28 seats in the National Assembly.

Jabalpur and Chhindwara will go to polls in the first phase on April 19 along with Siddi, Shahdor (ST), Mandela (ST) and Balaghat.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)