PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi to visit Odisha this month to strengthen poll campaign

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to visit Odisha this month, sources in BJP and Congress said Thursday. Modi will arrive in Odisha on December 24 and address a public meeting in Khurda, BJP Odisha in-charge Arun Singh said.

The tour itinerary of the prime minister would be announced soon, he said. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said Gandhi's visit is confirmed but the date is yet to be decided. Gandhi will come on a two-day trip to Odisha, he said adding it could be on December 22 and 23 or December 27 and 28.

The Congress president will address rallies in coastal, south and western Odisha during his visit to the state, Patnaik added. Assembly poll in Odisha is slated to be held next year along with the Lok Sabha election.