The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance has begun an intensive campaign in Bihar that focuses on three main issues- development in the state during the NDA rule, financial aid from the union government that has generated employment avenues and the benefits to women from policy interventions– ahead of the assembly elections later this year in an attempt to counter the opposition’s election campaign that is mounted on the alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls , people familiar with the matter said.
According to a senior party leader, the coalition is making an effort to ensure that the election campaign is basically seen as the NDA’s pitch for re-election. It will address allegations of electoral roll discrepanciesthrough door-to-door campaigns which will include senior leaders from all NDA allies, this person added, asking not to be named. .
“The main theme of the campaign is ‘Raftaar Pakad Chuka Bihar’ (Bihar is on the move). We have senior NDA leaders including state and union ministers travelling in groups of seven across the state with details of the changes on the ground vis-a-vis infrastructure, education, healthcare and employment generation…unlike the RJD’s jungle raj, when only one section of people benefitted, the NDA has ensured that no section has remained bereft of benefits,” said a senior state leader, asking not to be named.
As part of the campaign 12 groups of seven members each have been assigned to cover 243 assembly constituencies, attending 10-14 public programmes a day. While the opposition has mostly been focussing on the Special Intensive Revision or SIR of electoral roll and has accused the ruling side of “vote chori” or electoral malpractices, the NDA is arguing that the Opposition wants “illegal immigrants as voters.”
“SIR is not happening for the first time, and the purpose is to clean the rolls. The opposition’s objection to the exercise is suspect, because they seem keen on including illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar as voters. There are no legitimate voters who have been dropped from the rolls, there are cases of duplication, which is what the election commission is trying to weed out,” said the SECOND? leader quoted above.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra that concluded with the ‘Gandhi se Ambedkar’ march at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on Monday galvanised attention on the ground, with surging crowds present during the 14-day event that covered over 110 assembly constituencies. But NDA leaders assert that the “crowds” are not an indicator of electoral support and insist that SIR will not impact them adversely.
“The Opposition has no charges against the ruling side. Other than their traditional Muslim-Yadav vote bank, they have not been able to increase their catchment…on the other hand, the NDA has consolidated its position among the OBCs, the EBCs, the so-called Upper Class, the Mahadalits and women, who were at the centre of the welfare programmes. While the RJD and the Congress have just SIR rhetoric, we are going to people with evidence of work on the ground…Sadak Badi, Doori Ghati (how roads and highways have reduced distances), there is hardly any village where jobs have not been given to the eligible people in the police, in state government offices, through Jeevika ( a state government programme for livelihood)… and it would not be wrong to say that during the NDA rule 10-12 lakh jobs have been provided in addition to avenues for entrepreneurship such as foxnut cultivation,” said the second leader.
He also listed initiatives such as 35% reservation for women in government jobs, free electricity up to 125 units , and free treatment up to ₹5 lakh as “pro people initiatives”.
The party’s campaign also promises one million jobs and avenues for earning through the setting up of special industrial zones. “Factories for manufacturing surgical gloves, ethanol factories and other manufacturing units have been sanctioned,” said the second leader quoted above.