Narendra Modi is Nitish Kumar's neighbour for a night

The BJP's prime minister candidate Narendra Modi is set to spend Friday night in the Bihar capital as a guest and neighbour of his most vocal critic, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The bungalow that Modi sleeps in will be in a high security zone very near the official residence of the chief minister.

Modi will arrive here late Friday night, ahead of his scheduled visit Saturday to half a dozen villages across the state to meet the families of the six people, mostly BJP workers, who lost their lives in the serial blasts in Patna last Sunday.

"It is a coincidence that Modi will be a state guest and will be staying Friday night in the state guest house, a few metres from Nitish Kumar's official residence," an official said.

As usual, Nitish Kumar will sleep Friday night in his high-security 1, Anne Marg residence in the state capital.

However, Modi and Nitish Kumar will not meet each other Friday night or Saturday.

"There is no official programme at which the two are expected to meet, although they will be sleeping in bungalows very near each other," one official said.

As per protocol, Modi will be accorded the honour of being a state guest, officials said.

Six people were killed and more than 80 injured when half a dozen bombs exploded in Patna Sunday morning, most of them in and around the sprawling Gandhi Maidan where Modi later addressed a huge rally Sunday.