PATNA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to kick off the campaign for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections from Gopalganj on the second day of his two-day visit on Sunday. Before his meeting in Gopalganj, he will attend an event organized by the state's cooperative department in Patna.
In Patna, Shah will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various development projects worth Rs. 823 crore. These include the inauguration of a Makhana processing center for Mithilanchal. Additionally, he will distribute micro-ATMs to 100 cooperative committees and address approximately 7,000 cooperative committee members.
Shah will then travel to Gopalganj by a special helicopter, where he is scheduled to address a public meeting at the new police lines.
The BJP will officially launch its election campaign from Gopalganj, which is the native district of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad.
After his arrival in Patna from New Delhi on Saturday evening, Shah held a meeting with senior BJP leaders at the state headquarters. He urged them to remind the people of Bihar about the "Lalu era" before Nitish Kumar took over as Chief Minister in November 2005. "Go to the villages and remind people of Lalu's rule," Shah advised party leaders, recalling the "jungle raj" (lawlessness) that prevailed under RJD’s leadership.
Shah's directive to party leaders suggests that the NDA's campaign will primarily target the RJD.
"The specter of 'jungle raj' will re-emerge during the election campaign. Lalu and his family will be targeted for corruption and misgovernance," a senior BJP leader said, requesting anonymity.
Shah's call to party leaders came just one day after BJP President J.P. Nadda accused the Lalu Prasad-led RJD government of turning Bihar into a "doobta Bihar" (sinking Bihar), citing the lawlessness of the 1990s.
In his meeting with senior party leaders, Shah set a target for the upcoming assembly elections, aiming for 225 seats in the 243-member state assembly. "Consider each BJP and allied candidate as your own and ensure their victory," he said. The meeting was attended by all MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and state office-bearers of the BJP.
Shah is also expected to meet leaders of the NDA, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, before returning to New Delhi in the evening.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to visit Bihar on April 24 to inaugurate the extended complex of Patna Airport and other major development projects.
The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in October-November this year.