File photo of Narendra Modi with LK Advani.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is holding a rally in election-bound Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal today, which is expected to witness its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi sharing the stage with party patriarch LK Advani.
This is the first public appearance of the two leaders after Mr Advani openly opposed and skipped the event where Mr Modi was elevated as the party's choice for Prime Minister on September 13.
Sources said Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is hoping for a third term as Chief Minister, requested Mr Advani to attend the rally during the National Integration Council meeting in Delhi last week.
Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti are other prominent BJP leaders likely to attend the rally.
The rally ground shows Mr Chouhan's tough balancing act to ensure that no senior leader's ego is hurt. Every top gun's cutout has been erected. A chariot painted in gold will serve as the podium at the rally.
The event will commemorate the birth anniversary of late Jan Sangh leader Pandit Deendayal in the run-up to the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls two months later.
Called the
'karykarta mahakumbh', the BJP expects the rally to be attended by five lakh party workers who have been charged a token Rs 5 per head for attendance. However, the party has clarified that no entry fee would be levied from ordinary citizens.
11 special trains have been organised to bring people from Rewa, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Shahdol, Balaghat, Ratlam, Gwalior, Singrauli and Guna to the rally in the state capital.