40 Modi rallies, 40 star campaigners: BJP on overdrive in Bihar

Now, that’s how desperately Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to win Bihar. M I Khan reports from Patna  

With only four days to go for the state elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party is in top gear in Bihar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the star campaigner of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, is likely to address 40 rallies, a record for a prime minister, in the next few days. Now, that’s how important Bihar is to the BJP.

In the 2005 and 2010 assembly polls, the then PM Manmohan Singh had held two to three public gatherings in the state. Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee also addressed a couple of rallies in Bihar ahead of the polls in 2000. And Modi himself has campaigned in the state earlier, but never so aggressively.    

Modi is scheduled to stay at Raj Bhavan in Patna on Thursday night after visiting Begusarai, Nawada, Samastipur and Munger districts. He will address two more rallies on Friday in Sasaram and Aurangabad.

The PM has addressed four public gatherings in July and August before the announcement of polls and made two official trips during the same period. After the Election Commission announced dates of the Bihar assembly polls, Modi has addressed his first formal election rally in Banka district on September 2.

“Even during the Lok Sabha campaign when the stakes were higher, as he was the prime ministerial candidate of the NDA, Modi returned to Gujarat by late evening or night after addressing rallies. He never stayed back in any state where assembly polls were held in the last year. The big question is why is Modi so desperate for Bihar,” asked Anis Ankur, a socio- political analyst from Patna.

The BJP has not declared its chief ministerial candidate. It’s hoping to ride on the Modi face to change the face of the party if the NDA comes to power.            

"Sensing trouble, Modi is taking no chances in Bihar. If the BJP is defeated, his credibility will be in doubt and his charisma will become a mere myth,” said Jai Prakash, an activist.

Along with Modi half of his cabinet colleagues are on a campaign trail. According to local BJP leaders, 13 of the 26 Union cabinet ministers are busy with engagements in Bihar. Even the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, BJP’s ideological mentor, has jumped on to the campaign wagon. For the first time in Bihar, three RSS 'pracharaks' are among the party’s 40 star campaigners said its leaders.

Also, Jharkhand RSS leader Rajendra Singh is in the fray from the Dina assembly constituency.  

The BJP is contesting 160 of the 243 assembly seats along with ally Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, which will contest 40. The Upendra Kushwaha led-Rashtriya Lok Samata Party will contest 23 seats and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awami Morcha will fight in 20.

The polls will take place in five phases between October 12 and November 5, with the counting slated for November 8.

• Complete coverage: Battle for Bihar