Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two days visit to Gujarat just ahead of the state BJP executive meet in Somnath later this week has fuelled speculations that the party plans to hold early elections in the state. The BJP is hopeful that its recent spate of successes in assembly polls, especially UP, should provide it a comfortable victory in the state.

PM Modi landed in Surat late on Sunday evening to a grand reception by party workers, just two days after a similar roadshow was organised by the BJP ahead of the its national executive in Bhubneshwar.

Orissa goes to polls in 2019, along with general elections in the country. However, Gujarat is of immediate concern to the party.

BJP has been in power in the state for almost two decades now, with the party winning the last three elections under the leadership of Narendra Modi as the then chief minister of the state.

The term of the current government under Vijay Rupani is set to expire in December this year, but a flurry of political activity in Gujarat is being seen as a sign that the party is trying to bring forward polls which are generally held after the extended Dussera-Diwali festive season.

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Modi and his right-hand man, Amit Shah have in the last one month picked engagements in Gujarat quite meticulously. Shah has already held a round of meeting with state leaders, exhorting them to work to better the long held Madhav Singh Solanki-led Congress' record of 149 seats in 1985.

PM Modi took this message forward with his two day visit to the state.

Similarly, the Prime Minister's engagements on day-two of the Gujarat tour also clearly reflects an attempt to soothe ruffled feathers and reach out to constituents hit during the demonetisation drive.

On Monday morning, Modi inaugurated a new diamond polishing unit in Surat and a state-of-the-art hospital. Both projects have been established by top businessmen of the Patidar community which has been demanding reservations in government jobs and educational institution under the OBC category.

At the inauguration of the Samasta Arogya Trust hospital in Surat, Modi reached out to the community. He addressed a predominantly Patidar gathering as "Aatre upasthit mara parivarjano (my dear family members)."

The Prime Minister will culminate his Gujarat tour on Monday afternoon with a programme scheduled in the tribal dominated Silvassa, in South Gujarat, followed by commissioning of a Narmada water irrigation project for the parched Saurashtra region.

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