Patna
On Monday morning, Bihar’s incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the Grand Alliance’s CM candidate, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, were at a distance of 10 kms from each other in Gaya district in central Bihar. Nitish was speaking at Tekari and Tejaswhi at Atri, 10 kms away.
Nitish in his 20-minute speech repeated the figures and facts he informed the state assembly and election meetings over the last month, number of engineering and medical colleges opened during his term and roads laid.
On the other hand, Tejashwi spoke about his future plans, first decision of signing documents for appointment of one million youths in different government depts, free travel of candidates to examination centres, no exam fees after becoming the CM of the state.
Nitish said, “No industries could come up in Bihar in the last 15 years as Bihar is landlocked and sea is far away, a hindrance in supply of raw materials and marketing of finished products.” Tejashwi replied, “Bihar was landlocked even when my father was the CM and Railway Minister. He opened three railway factories at Chhapra, Marhowrah and Madhepura.”
Nitish told people: “Beware of the Jungle Raj. If you fail to elect me, Jungle Raj would return.” And, Tejashwi told the voters, 90% of whom were youths, “Forget the past, I am a leader of the young generation. I have to remain in politics for long. I will work for all castes, all communities.”
Nitish was heard commenting on the election symbol of RJD — a lantern, “Now, the age of the lantern is over. I have provided LED bulbs even in villages.” Tejaswhi responded: “See, JD-U symbol is an arrow (teer) without bows. Even in the age of missiles, they use arrows).”
The CM told the electorate “Our opponent (referring to Tejashwi) is poor, educated, does not understand development.” Tejaswhi replied, “When I was the deputy CM for 18 months with Nitish Kumar as my boss, I was highly educated. There was no complaint against my performance as deputy CM.”
The RJD leader in his speech tried to please all sections of society. He promised loan waiver, MSP to farmers in the rice bowl of the state, and to power consumers, charges would be halved.
Huge rounds of applause are a common sight at the RJD leader’s meetings and slogans like ‘Tejaswhi Bhaiya Jindabad’ are chanted with enthusiasm while Nitish Kumar has been receiving poor response from the crowd. The people are finding the CM’s speeches boring, full of statstics, and hollow promises.
Chirag seeks 5-yr report card, gets Tejashwi’s support
Patna
LJP President Chirag Paswan on Monday continued his attack on JD-U national president Nitish Kumar and alleged the Chief Minister destroyed Bihar in the last five years. In a series of tweets, Paswan regretted Bihar lost five precious years since 2015. Nitish did not deliver to the people.
Chirag said, “Saheb, you have destroyed Bihar and damaged Biharis in the last five years for your chair.”
He said he would continue to support the BJP candidates and announced that he would support Shreyashi Singh, the saffron party candidate from his parliamentary constitutency Jamui. He directed the LJP workers to work for the victory of Shreynshi Singh, an international shooter.
Chirag got the support of the leader of opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. Speaking at Munger where he had campaigned for Divya Prakash, daughter of the former union minister, Jaiprakash Narain Yadav, he said if required the RJD would seek LJP’s co-operation in government formation. The LJP has pledged its support to BJP-led government.
The LJP on Monday promised to open health centres at sub-divisional levels, cancer testing centres, diabetes cure centres, ENT hospitals, kidney treatment centres, dialysis centres in all sub-divisional towns.
Chirag also invited PM Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for the ‘shradh’ of his father Ram Vilas Paswan.
Nachari Mandal from Bahadurpur assembly constituency rides a buffalo while going to file nomination papers, in Darbhanga. | —ANI
Yogi, Nadda to campaign from today, PM from Friday
Patna
As the first phase of campaign for the Bihar assembly election reach the concluding stage, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP national President JP Nadda will be in Bihar on Tuesday.
Nadda, who had already visited thrice earlier would be camping in the state for next two days and address election meetings in Bhojpur, Buxar and East and West Champaran districts. His first meeting is scheduled at Ara, 55 kms from Patna and next at the Buxar parliamentary constituency of union minister of state for health and family welfare Ashwini Kumar Chaubey.
Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to address 20 election meetings and will start by addressing an election meeting at Ramgarh, close to neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. Sudhakar Singh, son of RJD president Jagdananad Singh is contesting from Ramgarh.
PM Nodi is expected to address 12 election meetings in three phases from October 23. His first meeting is planned at Sasaram from where BJP rebel Rameshar Chaurasiya, who was party’s national secretary, is contesting as an LJP candidate. Chaurasiya was party in-charge in Banaras, the PM’s constitutency.
BJP leaders from other parts of the country are also camping in Patna. Senior BJP MP from Chhattisgarh Saroj Pandey has been visiting rural constituencies of Bihar since Friday. She talked to the women at Ara in Bhojpuri on Sunday, and on Monday she was in Patna for a campaigning.
Sanjay Tandon, president of the Chandigarh unit of BJP and son of former Governor of Chhattisgarh, Balram Das Tandon is also in Patna to campaign among the trading community and people from Punjab and Haryana staying here.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also reached the capital city and visited the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee to release an audio-video campaign cassette.
