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Updated: Jan 15, 2019 07:11 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate a road project and address a rally in Kerala on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming national elections.

The PM’s visit comes against the backdrop of widespread violence and political tussle in the state over the issue of women of menstruating age entering Sabarimala temple. Till last year, women between the age of 10-40 years were not allowed to enter the hill shrine, whose presiding deity is believed to be a celibate. The Supreme Court ended this ban on September 28, 2018.

The BJP has led protests against the SC order and accused the state’s Left government of mishandling the Sabarimala issue, which political observers have said could help the right-wing party improve its standing in the traditional Left stronghold. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) failed to open its account in the state during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

“Political prospects of the party are really looking up. We feel it will gain momentum with the visit of the PM,” BJP state general secretary K Surendran said.

The 13-km Kollam bypass, which the PM slated to inaugurate on National Highway 66, has taken 40 years to complete, with both the BJP and the CPI(M) taking credit for the project’s completion. Vijayan was scheduled to inaugurate the bypass next month but the BJP announced a week earlier that instead, Modi would do it on January 15.

“Why you [Left] want to take undue credit for everything? Everyone knows NH projects are usually funded and executed by the Union government,” minister of state for tourism KJ Alphons said.

“The left front government had really toiled to fast-track the project. It is sad some forces who were nowhere in the scene are taking credit now,” said state PWD minister G Sudhakaran adding the state will seek exemption from toll for the 13-km long bypass.