Today in Politics: PM Modi’s Tamil Nadu push continues with roadshow in Chennai

With less than a fortnight left for Phase 1 of the Lok Sabha elections, parties are going all out in their campaign efforts.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will first head to the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh to address an election rally.

This will be Modi’s second visit to Madhya Pradesh in three days. On Sunday, the PM held a roadshow in Jabalpur. The Sidhi, Shahdol (ST), Jabalpur, Mandla (ST), Balaghat and Chhindwara seats in Madhya Pradesh will vote in the first phase on April 19.

The PM will continue with his Tamil Nadu push — he will be on a two-day visit to the state starting Tuesday — focussing particularly on the Coimbatore seat that the BJP hopes to clinch this time. All 39 seats in the state will vote in the first phase.

The PM will hold a roadshow in Chennai on Tuesday, covering segments of the South Chennai and Central Chennai constituencies. Former Telangana and Puducherry Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is the BJP’s South Chennai candidate, while Vinoj P Selvam is contesting from Chennai Central. Soundararajan will take on the DMK’sTamilachi Thangapandian and the AIADMK’s J Jayavardhan. Selvam will battle it out with DMK heavyweight Dayanidhi Maran.

The following day, Modi will first address a public meeting in Vellore to support two small partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — the Pattali Makkal Kachi’s Dharmapuri candidate Soumya Anbumani as well as the New Justice Party’s Vellore candidate AC Shanmugam who is contesting on the BJP symbol.

The PM will then head to Mettupalayam and campaign for the BJP candidates from Nilgiris (L Murugan), Coimbatore (K Annamalai) and Pollachi (K Vasantharajan).

Among these seats in the Dravidian land, where the BJP has no presence, Coimbatore