NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick-start his campaigning for the Bihar Assembly elections from Friday by addressing three rallies. The first of the 12 rallies of the PM will be held in Sasaram from where the NDA ally JD(U) is in the fray.
With Union Home Minister and former BJP chief Amit Shah so far staying away from the Bihar campaigning, the BJP will be heavily banking on the prime minister to swing the outcome of the elections in the state in favour of the NDA.
On Friday, the Prime Minister will hold to more rallies, besides Sasaram, in Gaya and Bhagalpur.
The BJP had won Sasaram Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 general elections with the party’s nominee Chhedi Paswan defeating Congress veteran and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
Sasaram, incidentally, is seen as crucial for the incumbent NDA to beat the influence of the Left and the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samta Party which has also fielded candidates.
Both Sasaram and Gaya have considerable Dalit electorates and the Prime Minister may look to assert his development credentials for the community in the backdrop of the Hathras incident.
The third rally of the Prime Minister will be held in Bhagalpur where the BJP has fielded a fresh face who is facing rebellion from within the party as well as Independent candidates who have also thrown their hats in the electoral ring.
Besides the PM, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are the star campaigners of the BJP for the Bihar polls.