The BJP video campaign does not mention Nitish Kumar.
Patna:
In Bihar, as voting for the first round of state elections approaches, signs are accumulating that the BJP is distancing itself from Nitish Kumar, distinguishing itself from its alleged support for Chirag Paswan’s rebellion against the leadership of the Chief Minister. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at his rallies in the state last week, sought votes for the NDA and made only a cursory mention of Nitish Kumar towards the end of his speech.
The three-phase polls begin Wednesday.
For the past few weeks, the two allies have been conducting parallel campaigns with virtually no overlap. Except for Senior Deputy Minister Sushil Modi and Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad, no prominent BJP leader has made an appearance at the Nitish Kumar or his Janata Dal United rallies.
Now Sushil Modi has contracted the coronavirus, leaving Kumar to fend for himself.
Even the BJP video campaign doesn’t mention Nitish Kumar. BJP posters across the state portray PM Modi. Similarly, the Janata Dal United campaign also speaks only of Nitish Kumar.
BJP leaders have no explanation as to why only Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s posters and clippings are highly visible at their rallies, and none from Nitish Kumar, although both Prime Minister Modi and Amit declared him to be the face of the campaign. of the NDA. Cha.
The prime minister, in his three speeches in the state last week, barely mentioned Nitish Kumar.
Even in his first speech at Sasaram, he sought votes for an NDA government and in the end asked the crowd to vote for Nitish Kumar, making it clear that chemistry was lacking.
Unofficially, BJP leaders say this is all deliberate, as the party now has comments that resentment against Nitish Kumar is growing in all segments.
Voters are particularly upset by Kumar’s handling of stranded migrant workers out of the state during the shutdown and his alleged disregard for the ills of ordinary people, issues that are being used in spades by Tejashwi Yadav of the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal.
BJP leaders also say their party supporters do not want another term for Nitish Kumar despite his clean image due to the ban and corruption across all sectors, issues raised by Chirag Paswan while campaigning for the solo contest. of your party.
The BJP is clear that unless votes are sought on behalf of Prime Minister Modi, the NDA has no chance. So far, he has publicly stated that Chirag Paswan, who is contesting 135 seats, will not be part of the NDA in this election, even though Paswan Junior has declared his allegiance to the BJP.
Comments suggest that the prime minister’s popularity chart is still intact in the state.
Meanwhile, Kumar’s JDU is inundated with comments about the indifference of local BJP leaders towards their candidates. His followers acknowledge that this time there are no rumors about his “Seven Nischay”, unlike the first time in 2015.
Instead, the party has received complaints about the poor implementation of “har ghar nal ka jal (running water for all households). The failure of the Chief Minister to address the problem of corruption has made matters worse – both problems they have been repeatedly highlighted by Chirag Paswan during his calls for “Nitish-Mukt Bihar” – Nitish Kumar’s free Bihar.
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