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PM Modi's Karnataka visit: Ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made his seventh visit to the southern state. During his vist, the Prime Minister took part in various programmes organised in Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru and Davangere.
The Prime Minister landed at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport in the city on March 25 morning and flew to Chikkaballapur in a helicopter to inaugurate 'Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research' (SMSIMSR) there, the release stated.
Situated in a rural area and established with a vision of de-commercialising medical education and healthcare, SMSIMSR will provide medical education and quality medical care - completely free of cost - to all. The institute will start functioning from the academic year 2023, an official release said.
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PM to inaugurate Whitefield Metro Line
During his visit, the PM also flagged off a new section of Bengaluru Metro Phase 2 in an attempt to bolster urban mobility. Later in the day, he also inaugurated the 13.71 km stretch from Whitefield (Kadugodi) Metro to the Krishnarajapura Metro Line of the Reach-1 extension project under Bangalore Metro Phase 2, at Whitefield Metro Station.
Built at a cost of around Rs 4,250 crores, the inauguration of this metro line will provide a clean, safe, rapid and comfortable travel facility to commuters in Bengaluru, enhancing the ease of mobility and reducing traffic congestion in the city, said PMO stated.
PM Modi to address mega rally at Davangere
Later, the Prime Minister will proceed to the district headquarters town of Davangere and address a public meeting, to mark the culmination of BJP's 'Vijay Sankapla Yatra'. According to BJP sources, this is said to be the first party meeting that the PM will be attending, since the poll preparations began in Karnataka.
A total of 10 lakh people are expected to participate in the rally, Davangere BJP MP G M Siddeshwar said, adding that about three lakh people will participate from Davangere district alone.
Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023
It should be noted here that Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Karnataka before May 2023 to elect all 224 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The tenure of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end on 24 May 2023. The Election Commission is expected to announce the poll schedule for Assembly elections in the next few days. The previous assembly elections were held in May 2018. Karnataka has 5.05 crore registered voters as of the updated final electoral rolls for 2023, which were released on January 5 this year. This number includes 2.50 crore registered women voters and 4,502 other voters.
(With inputs from agencies)