Nitish Kumar To Hit Bihar Campaign Trail With Virtual Rallies Today

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar will hit the campaign trail from today, when he will address people of several assembly segments, spread across half a dozen districts that go to
polls in the first phase of elections, a top leader of the ruling party said.

Sanjay Kumar Jha, JD(U) national general secretary and a key aide of the chief minister, said he will be addressing people in a total of 35 assembly constituencies over the next couple of days.

"The campaign will be through virtual mode on October 12 and 13. From October 14, he is likely to fly to different parts to address election meetings while remaining physically present," Mr Jha told PTI.

He said the virtual campaign will commence on this evening, connecting the CM to 11 assembly segments of six districts. This will be followed by addresses to 11 assembly segments of five districts on Tuesday morning and another 13 constituencies of four districts in the evening.

Replying to a query, Mr Jha, also a state minister, said, "The BJP is finalising the election campaign programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We do not have details but it is certain that he and the chief minister will be sharing the stage on a number of occasions."

The assembly elections in Bihar will see PM Modi seeking votes for Mr Kumar for the first time, burying a past that was marked by a bitter rivalry that existed between them when the prime minister was the chief minister of Gujarat.

Since the return of Mr Kumar to the NDA in 2017, the two leaders have shared the stage on multiple occasions, including the Lok Sabha polls last year, and showered praises on each other.

The BJP has backed Mr Kumar to the hilt as the NDA's chief ministerial candidate for the elections, silencing murmurs of dissent within its own rank and file and rebuffing LJP chief Chirag Paswan, who has raised a banner of revolt, a clear signal that the JD(U) president enjoyed the Prime Minister's support.