With ticket distribution over and the first phase of polling for the Bihar Assembly elections just two weeks away, the political parties are working on plans to cover most of their constituencies. The first of the five-phase polling, in 49 constituencies, is scheduled for October 12.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) is likely to address a public meeting at Kalyanpur in Samastipur on Saturday. However, party leaders told The Hindu that the JD(U) would formally launch its campaign on Monday.
The JD(U)’s ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal, will also begin its campaign on Monday. On Sunday, its chief Lalu Prasad will address a public meeting at Terasia diara in Raghopur in Vaishali district, where his younger son Tejaswi Yadav is taking on Satish Kumar Yadav of the BJP, who quit the JD(U) after he was denied nomination.
The RJD has put together a list of 40 star campaigners, including Mr. Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, eldest daughter Misa Bharti and Mr. Tejaswi Yadav and senior leaders Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Prem Gupta and Abdul Bari Siddiqui. It has hired a helicopter, which will land in Patna on Sunday morning.
On October 3, Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address a public meeting at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur to canvass votes for the party candidates. The party has put up its Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh in Kahalgaon in a bid to retain the seat.
Congress leaders say vice-president Rahul Gandhi, now on a foreign tour, will start his campaign on October 8. Ms. Gandhi has been urged to address at least two public meetings during each of her visits. “Mr. Gandhi may visit the State at least four times and address 12 public meetings,” a senior leader said. The former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, C.P. Joshi, Digvijaya Singh and Raj Babbar are among the star campaigners for the party.
The BJP has drawn up a three-week campaign and roped in senior leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Shatrughan Sinha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is spearheading the charge for the party, will kick off his campaign from Banka on October 2.
