Today in Politics: PM Modi heads to Maharashtra; Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi in Odisha

After a show of strength for his nomination in Varanasi on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will continue his election campaign in Maharashtra on Wednesday.

Modi will address a rally in Dindori, Kalyan and Ghatkopar in the Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituencies. Incidentally, his rally comes days after an illegal hoarding collapsed in Ghatkopar due to a storm leaving 14 people dead and several others injured. All three constituencies go to the polls in the fifth phase on May 20.

Union Minister Bharati Pawar is the BJP’s pick from Dindori while son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Shrikant is the Shiv Sena’s nominee from Kalyan. The BJP has fielded Mihir Kotecha from Mumbai North West.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a rally in Hooghly, West Bengal, before proceeding to Odisha. Party insiders said after his arrival in Bhubaneswar, Shah will address two public meetings in Sorada that is part of the Aska Lok Sabha seat and Boudh under Kandhamal Parliamentary constituency before arriving in Cuttack, where he will hold a roadshow in the evening. While Aska and Kandhamal will vote in the fifth phase, Cuttack will go to the polls on May 25 in the sixth phase.

Rourkela and Kantabanji, the second seat from where BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is contesting the Assembly polls, have reportedly been omitted from Shah’s itinerary, according to BJP sources.

Rahul to participate in bike rally in Odisha

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will take part in a bike rally in Odisha’s Bolangir on Wednesday while party president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to address a joint press conference with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav