BJP top brass to visit Bihar ahead of Assembly poll schedule

Ahead of the announcement of Assembly election dates, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar has begun a series of visits by its top leadership to review strategies and draw up plans.

On September 13, party president J.P. Nadda will meet the State unit’s core committee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar on September 15 - his seventh trip this year - to inaugurate the airport in Purnia and several other projects. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit on September 17 and again on September 27.

Assembly elections for the 243-member House are likely in October-November, with the Election Commission expected to announce the schedule in the first week of October.

Mr. Nadda’s visit will include a post-lunch meeting with the BJP’s State core committee to chalk out strategies, party spokespersons Pawan Kumar Singh and Kuntal Krishna said. “Besides elections, some other political issues too are to be discussed at the meeting,” Mr. Krishna added. Party sources told The Hindu that the central leadership has asked the State unit to “leave no stone unturned” to return to power in Bihar, “come what may”.

Asked if Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would remain the chief ministerial candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a senior BJP leader and cabinet colleague of Mr. Kumar, who requested anonymity, said, “That will be decided only by our top party leadership. But he [Mr. Kumar] will be the face under whose leadership NDA is all prepared to contest the upcoming Assembly election.”

Mr. Modi’s September 15 visit will see him inaugurate Purnia airport, Bihar’s fourth after Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga. Since January, he has visited the State six times, announcing projects worth several thousand crore rupees.

Mr. Shah’s visits on September 17 and 27 will focus on election-related issues with State leaders. “Mr. Shah during his visits could also meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to have discussion over number of seats to contest,” said a party source. According to party insiders, a broad seat-sharing formula has been worked out: BJP and Janata Dal (United) contesting over 100 seats each, and the remaining 43 to be divided among Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha. “But, before announcement to the media, the leaders would meet to take final decision on each and every seat,” the source added.

In the 2020 Assembly elections, the JD(U) contested 115 seats and won 43, while the BJP contested 110 and won 74, emerging as the second largest party following the 75 seats won by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Opposition leaders say their alliance has also reached a seat-sharing understanding: RJD on 136 seats, Congress on 52, the Left parties on 34, and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikashil Insaan Party and others on 20. “However, it will take time for final announcement,” RJD leaders said.