Narendra Modi to be videoconferencing in Nitish turf tomorrow

BJP campaign committee chief Narendra Modi will be giving election tips to party workers in Bihar through video conferencing tomorrow.

Through the first of its kind high-tech exercise, Modi will be addressing 1,500 BJP workers from the state level down to the panchayat level to discuss election strategy in Bihar, where the party has been left alone after JD(U) snapped ties with it, state BJP President Mangal Pandey told PTI.

Pandey said that the teleconferencing will be for one hour from 6 PM.

There would be three groups comprising 500 BJP workers of different levels in each.

In each group, five persons would be talking to Modi and others would listen to the conversation.

The first group will comprise state working committee members and district party office bearers. The second will have district and block level presidents and the last group will have party members at panchayat level and those belonging to social organisations, the Bihar BJP chief said.

The interaction programme would only be for organisational workers. Senior leaders like former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly Nandkishore Yadav would not be involved, he said.

This would be Modi's first foray into Bihar politics, seen as an opportunity for him to settle score with rival Nitish Kumar, whose party JD(U) severed ties with BJP over his elevation as campaign committee chief on June 16.

Narendra Modi had kept off from Bihar in 2009 Parliamentary polls as well 2010 Assembly elections.

BJP has 12 Lok Sabha members from Bihar at present while its erstwhile partner JD(U) has 20. RJD has 4, Congress 2 and as many others are Independent.