BJP plans 600 rallies; Modi, Advani star campaigners

The party is in the final stage of finalising the schedule of the star campaigners for the rallies in 243 constituencies of the state. According to party sources, the BJP is finalising the venue for holding at least 200 rallies in the first phase as the state goes to polls on October 12.

Modi alone will address at least 20 rallies in key constituencies. The Prime Minister will kick off his series of election rallies in Bihar from Banka on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2)and will spend around three days per week campaigning for the BJP and NDA candidates.

BJP leaders handling the party’s campaign are busy preparing the list of campaigners for the first phase of the polls.

According to sources, there has been an overwhelming demand from candidates, including those from BJP’s allies, for Modi’s rallies as he is the main hope for them in taking on the grand alliance.

The dates and venue of the rallies to be addressed by the other star campaigners such as LK Advani, Smriti Irani, Shatrughan Sinha, MM Joshi are also being decided. According to party insiders, the venue list will be decided phase-wise.

This time, the party has decided to make the maximum use of technology during rallies. Among other things, it will use GPS-enabled chariots to get <g data-gr-id="38">real time</g> data on each booth. Scores of BJP workers are working overtime at the party’s control centre in Patna to ensure that they get all the details instantly.

Also, the BJP has come up with a documentary on the party’s growth, with special focus on the Emergency years, Advani’s rath yatra to Ayodhya, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speeches and Modi’s political journey.

According to party officials, the 20-minute film will be part of BJP’s training module for its new members. 

The documentary traces the party’s history from 1952, when BJP’s predecessor Jan Sangh was formed, to May 26, 2014, when Modi took oath as the Prime Minister. No professional filmmaker was involved as the film uses original footage sourced from the archives of Doordarshan, Lok Sabha TV and other sources, with a voice-over explaining the events.

The party had launched 160 GPS-fitted ‘Parivartan Rath’ campaign in July for the state polls. The rath was conceptualised by Shah, who is known for his poll management and innovative strategy to counter rivals. The chariots are being used to send out a political message that “people in all 243 Assembly seats in Bihar <g data-gr-id="42">want</g> change”.

At the launch of the rath, Shah had said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s focus is to mobilise people for a change in Bihar and free them from the ‘jungle raj’ of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who joined hands with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.