Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed a rally in Shimla, seeking to sound the poll bugle in election-bound Himachal Pradesh by selecting it as a pit stop for his government’s celebration of eight years in power.

Modi’s “Garib Kalyan Sammelan” at Shimla’s Ridge Maidan was simultaneously aired in state capitals and district headquarters. At the event, the 11th instalment of Rs 2,000 each to 80 crore farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi was also released.

Speaking at the rally, Modi claimed that his government had weeded out corruption, lowered poverty and ushered in a robust economy.

“Now our borders are more secure than they were before 2014,” he said, making no reference to the Chinese occupation of large swathes of Indian territory in Ladakh. Nor did the Prime Minister divulge the basis of his claims on the economy and poverty at a time multiple reports have pointed to how millions of Indians have been pushed into penury, job loss has been at a four-decade high and inflation and price rise have scalded households.

Shimla appeared to have been chosen as a venue for the eight-year celebrations since the hill state of Himachal is scheduled to go to the polls later this year.

Modi continues to be the BJP’s biggest poll mascot and the party’s prime vote catcher in every state election.

Chief minister Jairam Thakur addressed the rally before Modi and referred to the BJP earlier this year regaining power in four states. He predicted a similar result in Himachal.

Modi didn’t directly broach the elections and kept the focus on the achievements of his government in the last eight years. Party leaders, however, said that with Modi’s presence, the message had been conveyed to the people that they needed to back the BJP for a “double-engine” government.

“No goal is impossible before the strength of us Indians. Today, India is one of the fastest-growing economies. Record foreign investments are taking place in India,” Modi said at the event, where he also interacted with beneficiaries of his government’s schemes.

Himachal Pradesh has for many years alternated between the BJP and the Congress every five years.

The current BJP regime is aiming to buck that trend and return to power, attempting to replicate across the country the “model” in Gujarat where it has been in power uninterrupted since 1995.

Apart from the Congress, the BJP in Himachal faces a challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party that is fresh from a stunning victory in neighbouring Punjab.

Hardik to join BJP

Ahmedabad: Former Congress leader Hardik Patel will join the BJP on June 2 in the presence of Gujarat party president C.R. Paatil, a state party spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Hardik’s move comes ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections later this year.

Hardik, 28, had in 2015 led an agitation seeking quota for his Patidar community and was a strong critic of the BJP in the past. PTI