Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready to hit the campaign trail with election rallies in Srinagar and Katra on Thursday, just ahead of the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls set for September 25. He’ll kick things off at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar around noon and then head over to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex in Katra at 3:00 p.m. This marks Modi’s first rally in the Valley for the ongoing elections, following his previous address to BJP supporters in Jammu’s Doda on September 14.

BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said that Modi’s trip to J&K will be a “game changer.” After checking out the rally site at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, he told reporters, “The people of J&K love the Prime Minister. Whenever he visits, he gets a massive turnout. Thursday’s visit will be a game changer, and it’s going to be a milestone event for the people here.”

To ensure everything goes off without a hitch, the J&K Police have teamed up with the Special Protection Group (SPG), which handles the Prime Minister’s security. An SPG team arrived in Srinagar four days early to coordinate with local authorities and fine-tune the security details for the VVIP visit. The Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium, located in the Ram Munshibagh area, can hold a large crowd, and the BJP expects plenty of attendees eager to hear Modi speak.

To manage the expected turnout, police will regulate access to the venue and implement some traffic diversions for a smooth rally experience. “We have a detailed standard operating procedure (SoP) in place for the Prime Minister’s visit, and we’re sticking to it closely,” a police spokesperson stated.

They’ll deploy sharpshooters in high-rise buildings nearby, and enhance electronic surveillance with on-the-ground security to ensure a foolproof setup. Notably, this visit comes right after the first phase of voting wraps up in the three-phase J&K Assembly elections.