Amit Shah in Bihar today, massive BJP show of strength on last day of nominations
On the final day of nomination filing for Phase 1 Bihar Assembly polls, Amit Shah and several BJP chief ministers will visit the state to back candidates and rally workers in key constituencies.
In a mega show of strength, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several BJP Chief Ministers will visit Bihar as the nomination window for the first phase of Assembly polls closes today. The saffron party is flooding the state with its top leadership, turning the day into a full-scale campaign push.
Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states -- Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), Pramod Sawant (Goa), Bhajan Lal Sharma (Rajasthan) and Mohan Charan Majhi (Odisha) -- will participate in multiple nomination rallies and public meetings through the day.
The 243-seat Bihar Assembly will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.
Amit Shah, who arrived in Patna on Thursday, is meeting party workers and alliance leaders and will address election rallies in Taraiya and Amnaur today. He will also speak at a gathering of intellectuals at Gyan Bhavan in Patna and attend candidate processions ahead of nomination filings.
On the alliance front, the Union Home Minister made it clear that the NDA is contesting the Bihar election under the leadership of Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) President Nitish Kumar. "We are fighting the elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also leading our campaign," Shah said while speaking to India Today TV.
Asked about whether Kumar will return as Chief Minister if the NDA wins, Shah said the final decision would rest with elected legislators. "Elected MLAs of the coalition partners will first elect their respective party leaders, who will then sit together and decide as to who will head the next government," he said.
A senior BJP leader told news agency PTI that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also hold rallies in the poll-bound state in the days to come.
Among NDA allies, the BJP has already declared candidates for all 101 seats it will contest. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), contesting an equal number, has also finalised its list.
Smaller NDA partners including Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan, Hindustani Awam Morcha headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha, have also announced candidates for their share of seats.