PATNA: PM Narendra Modi would launch the NDA’s parliamentary election campaign in the state by addressing public meetings at Jamui and Gaya on April 2. Both Jamui and Gaya are reserved for the scheduled castes (SC) category.BJP president Amit Shah would precede the PM’s campaign by addressing rallies at Nawada and Aurangabad on March 29, state BJP sources said on Monday.Theoretically, the rallies to be addressed by them would be organized by the three NDA partners – JD(U), BJP and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) – but “practically, all spadework is being done by the BJP”, as it has pan-Bihar presence and also has a well-oiled organizational structure compared to the two other NDA partners, BJP sources said.BJP has fielded its sitting MP Sushil Kumar Singh from Aurangabad. Chirag Paswan and Chandan Kumar of LJP are contesting from Jamui and Nawada, respectively while BJP left its Gaya seat for ally JD(U) which has fielded Vijay Kumar Manjhi, son of former MLA Bhagwatiya Devi. Chandan is the younger brother of former MP and strong man Suraj Bhan Singh, who, in turn, is the husband of the party’s sitting MP from Munger Veena Singh. LJP had left Munger seat for JD(U) to field water resources department minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh.Incidentally, the last date for the filing of nomination papers for the Gaya, Jamui, Aurangabad and Nawada seats ended on Monday. Even as PM Modi and Shah are set to launch the NDA’s poll campaign, there are several loose strings dangling.For, the sitting BJP MP from Nawada is Union minister Giriraj Singh. He, however, has been shifted to Begusarai where CPI has former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar as its nominee. The Grand Alliance is also likely to field former MLC Tanveer Hassan of RJD, who had lost to BJP’s Bhola Singh in 2014.Curiously, for the last couple of days since the announcement of the NDA candidates on March 23, Singh has been telling the media, though without being on quote, that he is not inclined to contest from Begusarai as he preferred Nawada.Like in the 2014 parliamentary election, it has been his proven tactics to get into the imagination of his core constituency of Bhumihar caste to which he belongs, party sources said. The upshot of the end of the last date for the filing of nomination papers for the Nawada seat is that he would have to obey the party diktat and stick to Begusarai.Nonetheless, the launch of the NDA’s campaign by PM Modi and Shah would put the Grand Alliance partners further in disarray, as unlike the NDA, they have not yet fully formalized the seat-sharing arrangement or candidate selection, and have been doing it phase wise.

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