Electioneering gathers pace for Lok Sabha polls in Bihar

PATNA: With barely two weeks left for the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, electioneering is gaining momentum in the state.
While BJP national president Amit Shah is likely to hold a public meeting at Aurangabad on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address public meetings at Gaya and Jamui on April 2. Party’s state president Nityanand Rai will accompany Shah in Aurangabad.
BJP state in charge Bhupendra Yadav held separate meetings with party workers at Ara and Danapur on Thursday.He also called on the local leaders and got feedback about the contestants. Union minister and sitting MP from Ara, R K Singh was also present at the meet.
While both Jamui and Gaya seats have gone into the JD (U)’s kitty, the BJP has retained the Aurangabad seat and fielded sitting MP Sushil Kumar Singh as Rajput voters are present in a sizeable number in the constituency. Upendra Prasad of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) is pitted against him.
Among the four constituencies going to the polls on April 11, only Aurangabad seat is being contested by the BJP. While the Jamui seat has been allocated to the LJP, the Gaya seat has been given to the JD (U). Chirag Paswan of the LJP is seeking reelection from Jamui. The BJP’s sitting MP from Gaya, Hari Manjhi has been denied a ticket. The seat has gone to the JD (U)’s kitty and the party has fielded Vijay Manjhi. Former CM and HAM (S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi is pitted against Vijay Manjhi.
While the Congress launched its election campaign from Purnia with party president Rahul Gandhi addressing a public meet on March 23, the RJD started its campaign from Bhagalpur on Tuesday. RJD leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav along with Mukesh Sahni of VIP addressed public meetings in Bhagalpur and Gaya. Uday Singh of the Congress is contesting against JD (U) sitting MP Santosh Kushwaha in Purnia.
Tejashwi was supposed to address election meetings in Katihar, Banka and Jamui on Thursday. However, he deferred the dates of the meetings as he suddenly fell sick.
RJD state president Ram Chandra Purbe said, “We have released a list of our star campaigners.”
Jitan Ram Manjhi, on the other hand, has been carrying out election meetings in Gaya (reserved) constituency from where he is contesting.
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha also addressed a series of meetings in the constituencies where the party has fielded its candidates. Gaya and Aurangabad are the five seats which have been given to the RLSP.