Udhampur: Gujarat native Ashok Patel, a staunch supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party, became a centre of attraction at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden poll rally here on Friday for his striking resemblance with him.
Modi addressed a mega poll rally at Modi ground along Jammu-Srinagar national highway in the Udhampur parliamentary constituency.
The constituency is going to polls in the first phase on April 19 to decide the fate of Union Minister Jitendra Singh and 11 other contestants, including Congress party’s Choudhary Lal Singh and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) leader G M Saroori.
Dressed in a white Kurta-Pyjama and a red waist-coat, Patel, who had come all the way from his home state Gujarat to attend the prime minister’s rally, attracted the attention of the crowd for resembling Modi with his eyeglasses, white hair and beard.
“I am happy that my face resembles our prime minister and people are taking selfies with me,” Patel told PTI at the rally.
The Gujarati man said he worked for Modi in his constituency even before he became the prime minister.
“It is my natural look and it resembles PM Modi,” he said, adding that since 2014, he has been going to different parts of the country for Modi’s publicity and entertaining people who want to take selfies with him.
“Jammu and Kashmir will be developed like Gujarat under the leadership of Modi. I am confident of BJP winning 400 plus seats this time,” he said, claiming that Congress is not even able to find candidates who can fight Lok Sabha polls on its ticket in the western coastal state.
This was the first election rally of the prime minister in Jammu and Kashmir post announcement of Lok Sabha elections in the country but his third in the Union Territory this year.
Modi addressed a public rally in Jammu on February 20 and his first rally in five years in Kashmir valley on March 7.
Another Modi supporter, Satish Sharma said the prime minister fulfilled all his promises of abrogation of Article 370, construction of the Ram temple, providing free ration to poor, and constructed houses for below-poverty-line residents.
Mustafa Qureshi, a BJP worker from Kathua district, praised Modi for providing justice to Gujjar and Bakerwal communities and said abrogation of Article 370 ensured the extension of the forest rights act to J-K.
“There is only one issue that is employment of our children and we are hopeful that the issue will also get resolved under the leadership of Modi,” he said.
Enthusiastic BJP workers including women wearing ‘Namo Namo BJP Sarees” and carrying Modi masks were seen chanting slogans in praise of the Prime Minister during the rally.
