Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally and hold a meeting with Tripura BJP's core committee during his one-day visit to the state on December 18, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Thursday.?These programmes will be held ahead of the Assembly elections in the northeastern state due early next year.

“Modi ji is coming to Tripura to address a rally at Vivekananda Ground here on Sunday and will interact with the beneficiaries of various welfare schemes of the central and state governments.?“It is certain that the Prime Minister will have a separate meeting with the party's core committee to discuss various organisational issues related to the 2023 Assembly elections,” Saha said.

Modi will also meet members of the state cabinet and party MLAs, the chief minister told a press conference after inaugurating the BJP's election office here. The Prime Minister is scheduled to reach Agartala from Meghalaya on Sunday where he will attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the North Eastern Council (NEC), the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the eight states of the region.

"It is good that we will kickstart the election campaign with the blessing from the Prime Minister," Saha said. BJP Tripura president Rajib Bhattacharjee was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the BJP's election office here. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda recently held a meeting with the party's senior leaders from the state in New Delhi.

Claiming that the BJP will win 'maximum seats' in the 2023 Assembly elections, Saha said that the party sought people's blessing for the second term as the BJP-led government has "delivered good governance". The BJP-IPFT combine swept to power in the state in 2018 winning 43 seats in the 60-member assembly. The BJP bagged 35 seats and the IPFT eight. A senior party functionary said that around 50,000 people will gather at the Vivekananda Ground for the prime minister’s rally.?