Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a total of nine rallies in Maharashtra in a week as part of the BJP's poll campaign for the state assembly polls, and his first public meeting will be held on Friday in Dhule, the party said.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the PM will also hold a roadshow in Pune on November 12.

Modi's first rally will be held in Dhule in north Maharashtra at 12 noon on Friday. He will then address a public meeting in Nashik at 2 pm, it said.

On November 9, he will campaign in Akola at 12 noon and in Nanded at 2 pm, it added.

On November 12, Modi will address rallies in Chimur (Chandrapur district) and Solapur, and participate in a roadshow in Pune in the evening.

Modi will then address rallies on November 14 at three places in the state - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Raigad and Mumbai.

Elections to the 288-member state legislative assembly will be held on November 20 and the votes will be counted three days later.

The BJP is contesting the elections as part of the Mahayuti alliance which also comprises Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar and Congress is fighting the polls against the Mahayuti.

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