Bihar Assembly Election 2020: PM Modi to begin election campaign from Sasaram; to present NDA’s development agenda

In all, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to hold 12 election rallies in the state. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will join him at the rallies in Sasaram and Bhagalpur

Beginning his election campaign for Bihar assembly polls on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address three rallies in Sasaram, Gaya and Bhagalpur. The first rally will be in Sasaram at 11 am.

Ahead of his election meetings today, PM Modi on Thursday said he will present the development agenda of the ruling National Democratic Alliance before the people and seek their support for it(File photo)

Ahead of his election meetings, the PM said on Thursday that he will present the development agenda of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) before the people and seek their support for it. In a tweet, he said, “Will have the opportunity to be in the midst of brothers and sisters of Bihar tomorrow. Will address rallies in Sasaram, Gaya and Bhagalpur. Will present the NDA’s development agenda before people and seek their blessings for the alliance.”

The three-phase polls will begin from October 28 and end on November 7. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 10.

In all, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to hold 12 election rallies in the state. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will join him at the rallies in Sasaram and Bhagalpur. Sources said the PM’s first meeting at Sasaram , being contested by Janata Dal (U), has its inherent political message of unity among the two major partners in state NDA amid the stand taken by former ally Lok Janshakti Party, led by Chirag Paswan, to go it alone.

Chirag, who began his campaign recently after the death of his father and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, has been attacking the chief minister over the development initiatives taken in last 15 years even as he has maintained that he is very much a part of the NDA at the Centre.

BJP leaders, including deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav have flayed Chirag for trying to create confusion by claiming that he has ties with the BJP. Yadav has categorically said that BJP has no ties with LJP.

“Those who cannot win a single seat on their own are claiming of forming the government. The LJP leader says he will not allow the Nitish Kumar to become the CM again. This means he is creating obstacles in the formation of an NDA government. The LJP is a vote-splitter,” deputy CM had said recently.

Poll observers feel it would be interesting to see if PM Modi will speak about the LJP today and how he takes on the RJD-Congress-led Grand Alliance, which is the main opposition to the NDA in Bihar. The BJP is all set to counter the unemployment issue with the promise of 1.9 million jobs in the next five years , if voted to power.

The RJD’s CM face, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, has said ”it would not matter how many star campaigners of the BJP and NDA come to the state for electioneering...issues like employment, migration and all-round growth are now relevant.”

In Gaya, JD(U) leader in the Lok Sabha Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan will share the dais with Modi along with former chief minister and president of Hindustani Awam Morcha Jitan Ram Manjhi.

On the PM’s election campaign, former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP’s Bihar in-charge Devendra Fadnavis had said, “Prime Minister Modi will hold 12 election rallies in the state for NDA candidates. On October 23, he will hold rallies in Sasaram, Gaya and Bhagalpur. On October 28, he will hold rallies in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Patna. On November 3, he will hold rallies in Chhapra, East Champaran and Samastipur. On November 3, rallies in West Champaran, Saharsa and Araria will be held.”

Fadnavis had asserted that people’s trust in Prime Minister Modi will not only benefit his party but also its allies.

“A lot of enthusiasm is seen among people, wherever we go in the state and take Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name. The country and its people have placed their trust in PM Modi. This trust will benefit not only us but also our allies,” he had said.

The BJP and the JD(U) had agreed to contest on 121-122 seats respectively in the 243-member assembly. The JD(U) has further given seats to Hindustani Awaam Morcha of Jitin Ram Manjhi from its quota. BJP had formally inducted the Vikassheel Insaan Party into the NDA and assigned it 11 seats.

( With inputs from agencies)