Elon Musk is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month, sparking speculation that the Modi regime is preparing to remove all the hurdles that have stalled electric car maker Tesla’s entry into India.

Musk could announce a $3 billion (roughly Rs 25,000 crore) investment in the first phase of the car project after that meeting, which will almost certainly spark a caterwaul of protests from the Opposition over violation of the Election Commission’s code of conduct.

Musk’s investment — if announced — will give the Modi government major bragging rights before a general election in which the ruling BJP-led alliance hopes to grab over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha.

The meeting has been confirmed by both Musk and the PMO — amid the rough and tumble of campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls — but the dates are still a closely guarded secret.

“Any such announcement by an Indian entity would be a violation of the model code of conduct. However, the code is not applicable to foreign entity,” O.P. Rawat, former Chief Election Commissioner, told The Telegraph.

Asked whether the code would be applicable to a private entity, he said “it would apply to all Indian entities. If the foreign entity makes such an announcement on Indian soil, the Election Commission could impose a fine on them”

Former CEC T.S. Krishnamurthy said: “We have to wait and see. It is not a violation to meet and discuss. We have to see who makes the announcement, if at all, there is any.

“If Musk makes an announcement with the government not involved in it, I do not think it would be a violation. However, some parties could challenge it as a violation of the code. We have to see, what actually happens.”

Two other Election Commissioners said it would be premature to assume there would be some announcement. “Cannot comment based on conjecture. We also do not know the full facts, we do not know whether the presumed announcement has already been cleared by the Election Commission or not. These are speculation,” one of them said.

Speculation is rife that Tesla is in talks with Reliance for a potential joint venture. Initial stage discussions have been underway for over a month, media reports said.

Musk and Modi last met in New York in June, and Tesla for months lobbied India to lower import taxes on electric vehicles while it weighed up a factory there.

Tesla’s push into India comes as slowing EV demand in its main US and Chinese markets coincides with intensifying competition from Chinese auto makers. Tesla reported a drop in first-quarter deliveries that missed analyst estimates.