With the Bihar assembly elections approaching, the BJP leadership is stepping up its campaign in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are playing central roles in shaping the party’s strategy.
As a key measure to woo a significant chunk of women voters, Prime Minister Modi addressed a statewide programme via video conference to launch the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, transferring ₹10,000 each into the bank accounts of 75 lakh women across Bihar. In all, ₹7500 crore has been transferred in a single go to women beneficiaries, which also translates into at least a woman member in a household getting the benefit, which they can use to set up a business. This will be followed by the potential to receive up to ₹2 lakh for self-employment ventures.
Modi underlined women’s safety and economic independence under the NDA government in Bihar while contrasting it with what he termed “the darkness of the past.” It is a major scheme that is set to reach a maximum number of voters.
While Modi reached voters virtually, Amit Shah is returning to the state for a two-day tour, his second in just 10 days. Shah will tour Bettiah, Araria, and Samastipur, besides holding core group meetings in Patna. His itinerary includes interactions with MPs, MLAs, district presidents, and assembly in-charges.
While the Prime Minister reached out to voters with a welfare push, Shah and the newly appointed party’s election in charge for Bihar, Dharmendra Pradhan, are working for cadre mobilisation and strategic campaigning.
Interestingly, Bihar is not new to Pradhan. Earlier, he was involved in the 2010 Bihar election campaign. Being an OBC leader, Pradhan, with his extensive experience in election management, party sources say, is best suited for steering the campaign. Last year, he was in charge of the Haryana campaign, where the party, despite facing anti-incumbency, was able to retain its government.
Pradhan will be assisted by Union minister C R Patil and Uttar Pradesh deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya as co-in-charge.
The NDA allies are soon likely to announce their seat-sharing arrangement, where JDU is expected to contest one seat more than the BJP, both contesting on around 200 seats, while the remaining 40-odd seats will be divided among the Chirag Paswan-led LJP (RV), Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha's party.
As the senior BJP leaders are involved in taking ground reports from their cadre and assembly election incharges, they are also being given directions on plugging the campaign loopholes. The BJP is keen to hardsell the welfare measures of the Nitish Kumar government and the Modi-led central government, while assessing and overcoming the issues raised flagged by the Opposition parties, be it anti-incumbency, unemployment, law and order, or vote chori.