PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi to arrive in Kerala on Saturday as campaign peaks across key battlegrounds

Kerala’s election campaign is set for a high-voltage Saturday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will hit the campaign trail across multiple constituencies, signalling an intense final stretch in the run-up to the polls. Kerala goes to the polls on April 9 to elect 140 new legislators. Rahul Gandhi will cover three districts in a single day, addressing programmes in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Idukki, as the Congress-led UDF sharpens its push to regain power in the state. Party insiders indicate that a second round of campaigning by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be announced shortly, with a focus on Wayanad, her Lok Sabha constituency and a crucial political nerve centre for the party. On the other side, PM Modi is set to lead the BJP’s charge with a massive rally at Thiruvalla before heading to Thiruvananthapuram for a high-profile 1.5-kilometre roadshow in Nemom, the constituency in which state BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar is contesting. The roadshow is expected to be a major show of strength as the BJP seeks to energise its cadre and expand its electoral footprint. Nemom holds symbolic significance for the BJP, having been the party’s lone Assembly victory in 2016 before it slipped out of its grasp in 2021. The party is now making a determined push to reclaim lost ground. Having finished second in at least nine constituencies in the last Assembly election, BJP leaders are optimistic not only about reopening their account but also about securing multiple seats this time. For the Congress-led UDF, the stakes are equally high, with the alliance sensing an opportunity to capitalise on anti-incumbency sentiments and return to power. The parallel campaigns by PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi underscore the strategic importance of Kerala, even as both national parties deploy their top leadership to sway voters. With both camps planning return visits in the coming days, Kerala is witnessing a rare direct contest of narrative and momentum between the BJP and Congress at the highest level, turning the state into a key political theatre ahead of polling.