The BJP, emboldened by its resounding victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, has now shifted its focus to Bihar, which is set to hold elections in October and November this year.
Although the opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A., is still struggling to establish cohesion among its members, the BJP is taking no chances and has already begun its groundwork to secure a decisive victory.
As part of this strategy, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP’s key election strategist, arrived in Bihar on Saturday evening. Wasting no time, he immediately headed to the BJP headquarters, where he held extensive discussions with the party’s MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and other functionaries.
He emphasised the importance of maintaining unwavering unity among all NDA allies to ensure the complete defeat of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in the upcoming Assembly elections. Shah’s message carries significant weight, particularly because Bihar remains the only major Hindi heartland state where the BJP has never had its own Chief Minister since Independence.
Additionally, in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, the party narrowly missed emerging as the single largest party, falling just one seat short of the RJD’s tally, which could have bolstered its claim to the Chief Minister’s position.
The 2020 elections saw a highly competitive contest in which the RJD secured 75 seats, while the BJP followed closely with 74. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) suffered a setback, winning only 43 seats in the 243-member Assembly. As a result, a compromise was reached, allowing Nitish to continue as Chief Minister with two BJP leaders serving as Deputy Chief Ministers.
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In this context, Amit Shah’s visit holds particular significance, especially since he has refrained from publicly endorsing Nitish Kumar as the NDA’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections.
On Sunday, Shah is set to formally launch the BJP’s poll campaign from Gopalganj, a district closely associated with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.
His visit will begin with an address at the Cooperative Ministry meeting at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna. Following this, he will travel to Gopalganj to kick off the BJP’s election campaign with a major rally. Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal confirmed that the rally marks the beginning of the party’s efforts to mobilise support across the state.
Later in the day, Shah is expected to meet JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at the latter’s residence. This meeting is anticipated to include discussions on seat-sharing arrangements and coordination among NDA allies.
Prominent figures such as LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi, both of whom are Union Ministers, may also join the discussions, underscoring the BJP’s intent to present a united front ahead of the crucial state elections.
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