Chirag Paswan is contesting his first election in Bihar alone. (File)
Campaign for Bihar assembly election is in full swing. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, 69, faces multiple challengers in the Bihar election as he tries to win a fourth term.
Chirag Paswan stepped up his campaign today, seeking votes even from the BJP voters who do not support the Chief Minister. His tweet this morning read: "I request you to please vote for LJP candidates to implement #Bihar1stBihari1st. Everywhere else vote for the BJP. The coming government will be a #Nitish-free government."
This morning, Tejashwi Yadav, who is officially Nitish Kumar's main opponent, targeted the chief minister over his latest outburst at an election rally. "Respected Nitish ji is tired. The public is fed up of his stale, boring and age-old speeches," the RJD leader replied in a veiled dig to Mr Kumar, who a day earlier had accused Tejashwi Yadav's father attacked Tejashwi Yadav's father, Lalu Yadav, of ignoring the state's development during his rule.
Bihar will vote for a new government across three phases starting October 28, with results due on November 10.
Here are the Updates on poll campaigning for Bihar Election:
"Entire Bihar Is My Family, Serving People Is My Duty": Nitish Kumar
While addressing a public rally in Phulparas constituency on Sunday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lashed out at dynastic politics of the opposition and said that the whole state is his family.
"For others, wife, son, daughter and limited members are the families, but to me whole Bihar is my family. Serving people is my duty," he said.
"Bihar was in a pathetic situation. Lots of crime happened here. The development rate was almost zero. We controlled everything. We kept saying right from the beginning we''ll go on the path of progress with justice," he said.
JD(U) has fielded Sheela Mandal from Phulparas to contest against Kripanath Thakur of Congress and Bonod Kumar Singh of the Lok Jan Shakti Party. In the last elections held in Bihar in 2015, Guljar Devi of JD (U) had won from this seat.
People hate energyless, narrow-minded Nitish Kumar, says Tejashwi Yadav
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday alleged that the overwhelming crowds at his rallies show that people are not just angry but hate "energyless, conservative and narrow-minded" Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"The crowd at our rallies show that people are not just angry with Nitish Kumar but they hate him now, this is the level of their angst. Keeping aside caste, creed, class and religion, people are contesting Bihar Elections now on the issue of unemployment," Mr Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"Nitish Kumar has become energyless, conservative and narrow-minded," he alleged.
The LJP has fielded candidates against the BJP in five of the state's 243 seats. This, however, was done with the permission of the party which Chirag Paswan said would be his partner in government formation after the election.
For "Nitish-Free Government", Chirag Paswan's Message To BJP Voters
Chirag Paswan stepped up his campaign today, seeking votes even from the BJP voters who do not support the Chief Minister. His tweet this morning read: "I request you to please vote for LJP candidates to implement #Bihar1stBihari1st. Everywhere else vote for the BJP. The coming government will be a #Nitish-free government."
Altogether, his Lok Janshakti Party is contesting 138 seats - 122 of them against ten Janata Dal United and its ally, Jitin Ram Manjhi's HAM. (Read full story
here)
"He Is Tired": Tejashwi Yadav's Dig After At Nitish Kumar
This morning, Tejashwi Yadav retaliated saying: "Respected Nitish ji is tired. The public is fed up of his stale, boring and age-old speeches."
"Nitish Kumar ji, who is tired, is running away from realities and rationalities. After ruining the future of the crores of youth in Bihar, he is now turning the pages of past," he wrote in a tweet in Hindi.
"Ask Your Father": Nitish Kumar's Latest Outburst At Tejashwi Yadav
Nitish Kumar has lost his cool more than once while campaigning for the state elections in the last few days. In a scathing speech that referred (the reference was clear, if indirect) to the RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar said "ask your father or mother if they (Mr Yadav's parents) made any schools or colleges when they had the chance... or kept on making ill-gotten profits". (Read full story
here)
Marginal players have banded against Nitish Kumar -- Upendra Kushwaha of the RLSP backed by Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM; and Pappu Yadav's Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with Bhim Army's Chandrasekhar Azad Ravan.
Bihar Assembly Polls: Sita temple, road corridor in LJP's ''Bihar first Bihari first'' vision document for Bihar
In their ''Bihar first Bihari first'' vision document for Bihar Assembly polls, the LJP mentioned construction of Sita temple at Sitamarhi as similar to Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh''s Ayodhya.
According to the vision document, the LJP also wants to develop the proposed temple''s surrounding areas.
The LJP president has also promised in his vision document to construct a six-lane road corridor to connect Sitamarhi to Ayodhya. He mentioned that the road construction would be up to the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border which will be called Sita-Ram corridor.
Nitish Kuma is fighting for a fourth straight term as Bihar's Chief Minister.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan -- who is contesting his first election in Bihar alone -- will visit Sitamarhi today where he will perform puja of Goddess Sita.
On Saturday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav released the party's manifesto that focussed on providing 10 lakh government jobs for youth, higher Minimum Selling Price (MSP) rates for farmers, better health care facilities in the state and also plans to develop ''smart village'' concept.
Campaign for Bihar assembly election is in full swing. Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey is campaigning in his parliamentary constituency Buxar.