New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address two public rallies on Friday (November 8) in the poll-bound state of Maharashtra to garner support for the NDA candidates contesting the November 20 Assembly elections in the western state.

PM Modi will address a rally in Dhule at around 12 noon and another in Nashik at around 2 p.m.

Taking to X, PM Modi wrote: "My family members in Maharashtra have resolved to ensure an unprecedented victory for the NDA candidates in the assembly elections. In this atmosphere of enthusiasm, I will seek the blessings of the people by attending public meetings in Dhule at around 12 noon tomorrow and then in Nashik at 2 p.m."

Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20. The results will be announced on November 23.

Notably, the BJP has lined up rallies by party bigwigs including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who are in demand from most of the party nominees, during November 6 and 14.

BJP, which is contesting 148 seats in the MahaYuti, would be keen to ride 'Modi Wave' while approaching the voters. The party also proposes to seek votes for pro-development MahaYuti opposing the anti-growth Maha Vikas Aghadi while hoping to increase its vote share by banking on the popularity of Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath.

PM Modi, who had addressed 18 rallies during Lok Sabha elections for the MahaYuti candidates, will address two rallies each during November 8 and November 14 covering Konkan, northern Maharashtra, western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada region.

He will visit Dhule, Nashik, Akola, Nanded, Chandrapur, Chimur, Solapur, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Navi Mumbai, and Mumbai.

BJP insiders said that two more rallies may be organised in some constituencies based on the Prime Minister’s schedule.

PM Modi is expected to visit Mumbai on November 14 to address the MahaYuti’s joint rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex.

The MahaYuti partners have already swung into action to mobilise cadres to put up a show of strength.

A senior party functionary had earlier said: "The party bets big on the Prime Minister’s charisma and popularity. His meetings help the party and MahaYuti to woo the voters in their favour. The Prime Minister's appeal to vote MahaYuti to increase the pace of Maharashtra’s development is crucial. His call for the election of 'double engine sarkar' will find resonance among the voters, especially in the wake of a slew of development projects launched by the Centre and the MahaYuti government in the last two and half years."