Security personnel outside the venue of PM Narendra Modi's rally in Srinagar (Press Trust of India photo)
On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Srinagar, Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said he was monitoring the situation in Jammu and Kashmir on an "hourly basis". Even on Sunday, a grenade attack took place in poll-bound Pulwama's Noorpura, in which one security personnel was injured.
"I am monitoring the situation on an hourly basis," Mr Parrikar said in Goa when asked about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Echoing the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister, he said: "It (Friday's serial terror attacks) is a desperate attempt to derail the democratic process."
Srinagar is witnessing unprecedented levels of security. The Sher-e-Kashmir stadium, where the Prime Minister will be holding the rally - a first for BJP in the state - has been turned into a fortress.
Hundreds of security forces personnel - armed with metal detectors and accompanied by sniffer dogs - have been deployed in and around the stadium. Entry into the area has been restricted. Multiple checking points have been set up across the city.
The Prime Minister is visiting Srinagar - one of the four places where terrorists struck on Friday - in the wake of a record turnout in the first two of the five-phase assembly elections in the state.
PM Modi has chosen to address the rally from the spot which former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had used to reach out to people of Kashmir in 2003. In his address, Mr Vajpayee had promised resolution of Kashmir issue within ambit humanity, democracy and Kashmiryat - thereby gaining himself a special place in the heart of Kashmiris.
The BJP is doing everything to ensure that the rally is a success. Since the party does not have a strong base in the Valley, arrangements have been made to bring in people from different parts of Kashmir. Thousands of supporters of the party's potential allies will also be attending the rally.
But away from the stadium, people in Lal Chowk - the heart of the city's business area - are indifferent. The talk is only of "hartaal" - the strike call given by separatist groups on Monday against the Prime Minister's visit.
The day after, Tuesday, the third of the five-phase assembly elections will be held, in which Uri and Tral - which have also been the sites of Friday's terror attacks - will be going to polls. But while people in Uri are determined to vote, spirits are not so high in Pulwama, where two sarpanches have recently been targeted by militants. Only one of them survived.