Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday skipped the swearing-in of the Chief Justice of India to address election rallies in Himachal Pradesh, where the ruling BJP appears on shaky ground.

Addressing his last two meetings ahead of Saturday’s polling, Modi urged voters to buck the state’s trend of changing the government every five years.

Reports from the ground suggest simmering anti-incumbency. Besides, many BJP leaders are contesting as rebels, defying a party crackdown and even persuasion by Modi and party chief J.P. Nadda.

At the first rally in Chambi in the Kangra valley region, Modi said Himachal was at a crucial juncture and needed a stable government.

“Friends, the Congress can never give a stable government, nor do they want to,” the Prime Minister said, before asking the crowd if they ever hear of regarding “vikas” (development) from the two states where the party is in power — Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

“You only get reports of internal clashes. In such an atmosphere, can development take place?” he asked.

“The Congress means instability guaranteed. The Congress means guarantee of corruption and scandals. The Congress means guarantee of blocking development works,” Modi added.

Modi urged the voters to change the “practice” of alternating between the BJP and the Congress every five years.

“The people of Tamil Nadu ousted the Congress 60 years ago and till date haven’t returned the party to power. In Bengal and Tripura, it has been 50 years...,” he said, also citing Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Odisha where the Congress has long been out of power.

“Friends, there are many states where the Congress doesn’t even have a single MLA. The Congress’s basis even today is dynasty. Such a Congress cannot fulfill your aspirations,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister sought to spook the voters, saying if the Congress comes to power in Himachal, it would block development projects sanctioned by his government at the Centre.

“I may say that Himachal is my home and sanction projects, but the Congress will block them because they don’t believe in development,” he said. In the second rally at Sujanpur, in the Lok Sabha constituency Union minister Anurag Thakur, Modi asked:

“In the last five years, barring the Lok Sabha polls, did any all-India leader of the Congress come to you to know your difficulties?”

“They are assured that after five years Himachal will return them to power in keeping with the practice of changing the incumbent,” he said.