Prime Minister Modi to address public meeting in city on Jan. 23

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting in Chennai on January 23, along with leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the State.

This will be Mr. Modi’s first visit to Tamil Nadu in 2026, as the State is scheduled to go to poll within a few months. The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP is gearing up for the meeting.

BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagenthran and AIADMK headquarters secretary S.P. Velumani on Tuesday visited three possible locations on the outskirts of the city and inspected the entry and exit points. They also discussed the security measures that need to be considered before finalising the venue. The public meeting will be organised in a grand manner, in which AIADMK leaders, including party general secretary and the NDA’s Chief Ministerial face Edappadi K. Palaniswami, and leaders from other alliance parties will share the stage with Mr. Modi.

Both the AIADMK and the BJP have been pushing to give final shape to the NDA by holding talks and seat-sharing negotiations with alliance partners. BJP sources said it was highly likely that the NDA would expand further with more parties joining the alliance.

Last year, Mr. Modi visited the State thrice. He inaugurated the new Pamban rail bridge in Rameswaram in April, opened the new terminal at the Thoothukudi airport and took part in the valediction of the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival in July, and in the South India Natural Farming Summit at Coimbatore in November.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nagenthran is scheduled to participate in the Pongal celebrations to be held at the residence of Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan in New Delhi on Wednesday. Mr. Modi and several senior BJP leaders are expected to participate in the celebrations.