Bihar polls: NDA forms 14 teams to meet workers in 84 seats for grassroots coordination

Indian Express

17 hours ago

With the Assembly elections in Bihar months away, the ruling NDA is focusing on strengthening its grassroots organisation and putting up a united front. The alliance, which is led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United), is set to hold a series of coordination meetings with workers in all 243 Assembly constituencies in Bihar.
Sources said over two phases, as many as 84 constituencies will be covered through meetings between August 23 and August 25, and August 28 and August 30. Later, more constituencies will be addressed.
As many as 14 teams of leaders from various NDA constituents have been prepared for the task. Seven of these teams are headed by leaders from the JD(U), while the rest are headed by BJP leaders.
The seven JD(U)-led teams are headed by party working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, state unit president Umesh Kushwaha, Union minister Ramnath Thakur, and state ministers Vijay Chaudhary, Ashok Chaudhary, Shravan Kumar and Ratnesh Sada.
The BJP-led teams are headed by BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal, Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Union ministers Nityanand Rai, Mangal Pandey and Giriraj Singh, and Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal.
Each team has six members, including from BJP's allies like the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Manch.
Sources said that over six days, the teams will unitedly address workers in 84 Assembly constituencies on how the NDA campaign is to be taken forward, the organisational and coordination issues, and party workers' feedback.
'We have set a target of winning 225 seats in the Bihar polls. To convert this target into reality, we have been conducting these coordination meetings. Earlier such meetings were organised at the district level. It is now being taken to the constituency level. Leaders from all NDA parties will be there and we will move forward together with the slogan of making Nitish Kumar the CM again. Workers are the most important unit of a party organisation and all leaders will address them to ensure robust coordination. It shows that at a time when the Opposition appears disjointed, the NDA stands united,' said JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad.
Earlier in January-February, the NDA had similarly organised meetings at district level to ensure coordination among workers of various NDA constituents. These meetings were addressed by state presidents of all five NDA constituents, among other leaders.
Notably, the NDA is yet to finalise its seat sharing for the Bihar polls. A senior BJP leader, however, said an understanding was developing on that front and there was no friction within the NDA over it. 'There are some minor issues that will be sorted out soon. The big picture is clear to everyone that we are fighting as a united force under Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi,' the leader said.
The NDA's campaign will focus on highlighting the achievements of the Nitish Kumar regime over the past 20 years, from maintaining law and order, ushering in development and building infrastructure to increasing representation of women in local governance and various recently announced schemes like free electricity, enhanced pensions and programmes targeting youth unemployment.
NDA leaders have also been showcasing various Central and state schemes for the development of Bihar and targeting different sections of its population. The Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme figures prominently in their campaign. The state's Mahila Udyami Yojana, which focuses on extending financial assistance to women entrepreneurs, is also being highlighted.