Poll fever grips coast as PM Narendra Modi lands in Mangaluru

Mangaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's   overnight stay in Mangaluru seems to have energised his party workers and appears to have virtually kickstarted the BJP’s  campaign in coastal Karnataka for the 2018 state poll .

Although Mr Modi could have gone to  the cyclone affected areas of Lakshadweep, Kerala and Tamil Nadu via Kochi he chose Mangaluru, setting off speculation about his intentions with the elections to the state assembly looming next year.   

“Around 3,000 party workers welcomed him at the airport  and held a  Vijayotsav in his presence, which seemed like the  beginning of our campaign here,” agreed a BJP leader, adding, "Yesterday's visit was like a message to party workers  that they need to gear up for the state election. Mr Modi's visit has certainly made a difference. Just his presence, waving and shaking hands with people was enough to not only infuse our workers with new energy , but also the public." 

Going by party insiders the Prime Minister is likely to visit Udupi and Mangaluru again at the end of December and early January. 

"These two or three visits in the coming months are bound to be a morale boost for the party as they will turn into votes," said one leader. 

Mr Modi,  who stayed at the Circuit House in Mangaluru, left for the airport Tuesday morning in his car, waving to people, along the 8 km stretch. 

Seeing the Prime Minister in Mangaluru, a Congress leader observed that his visit appeared to be part of the BJP’s election strategy.  “The BJP's next target is Karnataka. By comiing to Mangaluru  the same day that the BJP won in  two states he clearly wanted to maintain the tempo and mood and get his party ready for the poll in Karnataka," he said, adding that the BJP's main target was coastal Karnataka, where it wanted to win the maximum number of seats.