Lok Sabha Polls 2024: PM Modi's first visit to Kashmir Valley next week after Article 370 abrogation, say reports

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kashmir valley next week and address a public rally ahead of Lok Sabha polls 2024.

This will be 's first visit to the Kashmir Valley since his government abrogated , that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories in August 2019. 

Last time, the prime minister was in the valley in February 2019 ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The prime minister is scheduled to address a public rally in on March 7 and launch various schemes, according to a report which added that the rally will be held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre along the picturesque Dal Lake.

"It was a longstanding demand of people here that the Prime Minister come and address them. Now on March 7, he will be addressing a rally," quoted Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina as saying.

Other reports by news agency PTI, and local newspaper suggested that the rally will be held in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

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The public rally is part of BJP's election campaign for the forthcoming general polls, news agency PTI quoted sources saying that the Anantnag rally will be held  between March 7 and 15.

While the holds three Lok Sabha seats of Kashmir Valley, the BJP won two seats in Jammu region in 2019. The lone seat in Ladakh is also with the BJP.

The BJP is focussing on the seat which comprises of the south Kashmir areas of Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag, and Rajouri-Poonch areas in Jammu. Before delimitation, the Anantnag seat comprised only of the four south Kashmir districts - Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama and Anantnag. 

The seat was won by National Conference's Justice  Hasnain Masoodi (retd) in 2019.

This would be PM Modi's second visit to