Chennai, Apr 2 (IANS): Prime minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally in Kanyakumari district on Friday to campaign for the BJP candidate Pon Radhakrishnan.

Modi will address the rally at the Vivekananda college ground in Agastheeswaram.

He will reach Kanyakumari from Konni in Kerala where he will address a public meeting at 1.15 p.m. at the Rajeev Gandhi Indoor stadium. He will travel from Konni to Kanyakumari by a helicopter.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat where a bypoll was necessitated following the passing away of the sitting MP, H.Vasanthakumar of the Congress owing to Covid related ailments.

Pon Radhakrishnan had won from Kanyakumari in 2014 but in 2019 he lost to Vasanthakumar by a margin of 2,99,000 votes. The BJP is contesting elections in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the AIADMK and this has given much hopes for Pon Radhakrishnan.

Other than the Lok Sabha candidate, NDA candidates contesting the Assembly polls from Kanyakumari district and adjoining constituencies will participate in the Prime minister's programme.

Security has been beefed up in Kanyakumari district and 3,500 policemen are deployed for the programme.

Modi will return to Thiruvananthapuram where he will address a public meeting at Greenfield stadium, Kazhakootam in which all the NDA candidates of Thiruvananthapuram district will participate.