BJP president Amit Shah to address rally at Aurangabad today

AURANGABAD: BJP president Amit Shah will address an election rally at Aurangabad on Friday to seek support for party’s candidate Sushil Kumar Singh.
This will be Shah’s first public meeting in the state after declaration of Lok Sabha poll dates. Four seats – Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada and Jamui – will go to polls in the state in first phase on April 11. The four parliamentary constituencies are considered highly sensitive as they have been affected by Maoist activities.
Shah’s rally at Aurangabad is a prelude to the scheduled address by PM Narendra Modi in Jamui and Gaya on April 2. Two of the three seats – Nawada and Jamui – have gone to the LJP led by Ram Vilas Paswan and Gaya to the JD(U).
Incidentally, the BJP had earlier decided to drop Sushil Kumar Singh, along with some other sitting MPs, and replace him by a new candidate, but the decision was finally shelved, because the party’s central leadership did not want to create a new set of problems that could have been caused by the change of candidates, sources said.
In the situation, the rallies to be addressed by Shah and PM Modi have the double-edged aim of rejuvenating the party’s rank and file and restoring the mass support, sources said, adding the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) has fielded former MLC Upendra Prasad. The Congress’s aspirant, former governor and also former local MP Nikhil Kumar, was denied the seat.
BJP incharge of the Aurangabad rally, Manish Pathak, said there was immense enthusiasm among BJP workers and they would come in a large number to attend Shah’s meeting.
He said a large number of people from neighbouring Gaya, Aurangabad and Rohtas districts would be arriving at Aurangabad to hear Shah at Gandhi Maidan, the venue of the rally. Shah’s visit to Aurangabad is expected to galvanise the party’s cadres to gear up for the poll battle, Pathak added.
Shah will meet the party’s candidate and other leaders before proceeding to the rally. The party’s state president, Nityanand Rai, along with Rajya Sabha member and former state BJP president Gopal Narayan Singh, will be with Shah. The organisers of the rally also said Aurangabad candidate Sushil Kumar Singh, Chhedi Paswan from Sasaram and former Gaya MP Hari Manjhi would also be present.
Shah will reach Aurangnabad by a chopper. The administration has made elaborate security arrangements in and around the venue. Central paramilitary forces and contingents of district armed police will be deployed to strengthen the security arrangement already in place, sub-divisional officer Anup Kumar said.