Ahead of Bihar polls, Amit Shah pushes ‘Developed Bihar’ mission

New Delhi: Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on the second day of his Bihar tour, met BJP leaders and workers in Samastipur, stressing on unity within the NDA to secure a two-thirds majority in the 243-seat assembly.

Asking workers to a 50-day action plan, Shah instructed them to engage directly with voters and mobilise at the booth level. “We already won many seats last time, but not enough to reach 160. This time, every district must increase its tally,” he said at a workers’ rally in Araria where he addressed 4,225 workers selected from Bhagalpur, Kosi, and Seemanchal.

“In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, except for Kishanganj, our alliance stood first in every district. In Bhagalpur, Banka, Araria, Purnea, Katihar, Supaul, Saharsa, and Madhepura we were number one. BJP workers, the only shortcoming was in Kishanganj — this time, we must make sure we perform exceptionally well even there,” he added.

The meeting was attended by senior BJP leaders, union minister Nityanad Rai, deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary and party members from Mithilanchal districts.

After several rallies have recently commented on seat distribution and alliance dynamics, Shah instructed workers to focus on unity and insisted on an emphasis on Mithilanchal. In another meeting in Samastipur, he specifically addressed workers from the Mithilanchal and Tirhut regions.

He asked workers to focus on the Rs 10,000 disbursed to Jeevika Didis, and the Rs 6000 given to farmers annually. “Our government announced internships — Rs 4,000 per month for Class 12 pass students, Rs 5,000 for diploma holders, and Rs 6,000 for graduates. We made electricity up to 125 units free for 1.67 crore households. The honorarium of ASHA workers has been raised from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000, and that of Mamta workers from Rs 300 to Rs 600,” he said in Araria.

In the meeting, which covered the party's campaign strategy, Shah said that the focus should be on countering the opposition's narrative and promoting the NDA’s “Developed Bihar” mission. He said that workers should amplify a “Triple M” formula – Mahila (women), Modi, and Mandir (temple).