Modi set to sound Bihar election bugle with Bhagalpur tour

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi — or PM-KISAN — is an initiative by the Modi government to give farmers an annual income support of up to Rs 6,000 in three installments.

BJP women workers, adorning ‘Namo mehndi’, will visit homes to extend invitations to the rally, says party. (Express photo)

According to party sources, Bhagalpur was chosen for release of PM-KISAN instalment because of the presence of agriculture university at Sabour.

The visit comes months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. The prime focus of PM’s Bhagalpur visit, which is stated to be part of rotational tour to various Bihar regions, is to create a “caste-neutral” constituency of farmers, party sources said.

Even though Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger and Lakhisarai have been traditional NDA strongholds, the coalition is looking to further consolidate its constituency. It was only during 2014 Lok Sabha and 2015 Assembly polls — when JD (U) was not part of the NDA — that the BJP had lost Bhagalpur and Banka Lok Sabha seats to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The party also lost all nine Assembly seats to the then Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan in 2015 Assembly polls.

BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma told The Indian Express that the PM was coming to Bhagalpur to “send message to all farmers of Bihar about the Centre being on its side not just with the Kisan Samman Nidhi but also with several agro-based measures”.

“The NDA government has opened its coffers for Bihar as could be seen in the latest Union Budget. Bihar is also going to have four Expressways, something which did not happen during previous regimes,” he said.

Asked if the Bhagalpur visit is the early launch of the party’s Bihar polls campaign, Sharma said: “One may say so. After all, after Delhi polls, focus shifts to Bihar. But largely, it is part of the PM’s bid to tour eastern India to boost uniform economic growth in the country”.

BJP spokesperson Preety Shekhar, who has been leading the party’s women wing in Bhagalpur, added: “There has been a great buzz around the PM’s visit. Women workers of the party have adorned their hands with “Namo mehndi” and are going door-to-door to extend invitations to the public to attend the rally. We are telling people how the NDA government has passed a 33 percent quota for women and opened Jandhan accounts in the names of women”.