With three days to go for the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a public rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai's Dadar area on Friday, May 17. With this the count of rallies of PM complete 18 in Maharashtra.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the INDIA bloc rally will be held at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)'s Pathaka Maidan on Friday evening. However, the Congress leader will not attend the Lok Sabha rally in Mumbai's BKC. The two rallies are a show of strength for the rival alliances and a way to swing fence-sitters in their respective favour.
Maharashtra to see the last phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. The 5th phase of ongoing polls in the state will be held on May 20 for 13 parliamentary constituencies in Mumbai, MMR and North Maharashtra.
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Meanwhile, Mumbai Traffic Police has issued traffic adversary in view of PM Modi's 'Jahir Sabha' at Shivaji Park in Dadar today, which will coincide with the INDIA block rally at BKC's Pathaka Maidan and IPL match at Wankhede Stadium the same day. Traffic restrictions are from 10 am till midnight in Central Mumbai.
Traffic regulation and diversion will take place at SVS road northbound, from Siddhivinayak Junction to Yes Bank Junction.
Alternative Route: From Siddhivinayak Junction to SK Bole Road-Agar Bazaar-Portuguese Church-left turn to Gokhale Road or SK Bole Road.
SVS Road South Bound:
Alternative Route: Dandekar Chowk-left turn to Pandurang Naik Marg-Raja Badhe Chowk-right turn to LJ Road Gokhale Road or NC Kelkar Road.
BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule called on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray inviting him to attend the public rally in Dadar today. This is the first time MNS chief will be sharing the stage with PM Modi. He has also released a teaser video of himself and PM Modi. The PM is expected to arrive at the rally at around 7 pm.
The BJP has also allied with MNS in Mumbai, Thane and Nashik. The contest is expected to be close on most seats in Mumbai. The BJP is contesting the Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central and Mumbai North seats while its ally, the Shiv Sena, is contesting the Mumbai-South, Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai North-West seat.
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As for the INDIA Bloc, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Delhi CM and AAP president Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will address the rally.
Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray invited Kejriwal to address the rally. "On May 17, the MVA's final rally will be held. So we have invited him (Kejriwal) and he has accepted the invitation. On the same day, Narendra Modi is also in Mumbai," Raut said.
Raut said, "We (INDIA alliance) had prepared for Shivaji Park to conduct the rally but BJP and its alliance are in power and they get the Shivaji Park in the name of the PM to stop us as they are scared... Be it the PM or anyone in Mumbai, it doesn't impact us... He (the PM ) has a speciality, whoever he questions, he always goes with that person. BJP had cut its ties with Raj Thackeray citing his party attacks on North Indians but today PM Modi will share the stage with him. The leader who once said that I wouldn't let PM Modi and Amit Shah come to Maharashtra will be there on stage with the PM."