Shah begins Bihar tour for final poll push

With barely a fortnight left for first phase of polls, BJP chief Amit Shah is here for a week-long tour of Bihar during which he will hold a series of key meetings to galvanise party cadres for a final push in the tough battle with the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance.
Joined by party's election in-charge Ananth Kumar, the BJP chief, who arrived here today, will preside over nine regional meetings across the state in which key leaders and workers from all 38 districts will participate, Bihar BJP spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh said.
He will also work to placate the dissident voices that have arisen over a number of reasons, from tickets being given to turncoats from JD(U) and RJD and allegedly to those with criminal background to denial of nomination to the kin of some leaders.

"Amit Shah wants to ensure that the entire party apparatus is solidly behind the goal to win the assembly elections as the last leg of campaign starts. Whatever tactical changes in campaign or toning up of management at local and booth level is required will be done by him," a party source said.
Starting from tomorrow, he will hold meet at Begusarai, Aurangabad, Patna, Muzaffarpur and Supaul besides other places till October 5.
The BJP chief will also hold rallies at Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnia.

Significantly, BJP had lost in Lok Sabha elections last year from all these three constituencies and Shah's decision to hold rallies underscores the importance he has attached to these places where the Muslim concentration is at its most in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also return to the Bihar campaign with a rally in Banka, again a seat from which the party had lost last year, on October 2.
Bihar goes to polls in five phases between October 12 and November 5.
Almost all opinion polls have predicted a neck and neck fight between the BJP-led NDA and the grand alliance spearheaded by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad.