PM Narendra Modi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to share political dais during NDA mega rally

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will soon share political dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Patna, most probably on March 3.

Both the leaders will come together during the launch of NDA campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Bihar. PM Modi and Nitish have shared stage at various government and religious events in the recent years, but this will be the first time they will come together after JD(U)’s realignment with the BJP in July 2017.

Sources in JD(U) said, the NDA in Bihar would hold a mega rally in Patna to give a befitting retort to the Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s proposed "Jan Akanksha Rally" at Patna’s Gandhi maidan on February 3. The proposed mega rally of NDA would be held either in the last week of February or the first week of March. The date is yet to be finalised.

However, a JD(U) senior told TOI on Monday that most probably the NDA’s rally would be held on March 3, a day before Mahashivratri, and precisely a month after Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Gandhi Maidan.

Responding to a query about his proposed joint rally with PM Modi, Nitish said talks between the allies of NDA were going on for holding the rally but the date was yet to be finalised. Nitish was replying to media query at his "Lok Samvad" programme here on Monday.

Contacted over phone, JD(U) national secretary general KC Tyagi confirmed participation of PM Modi in the NDA’s Patna rally. He said, "Top leadership of BJP, JD(U) and LJP including PM Modi, CM Nitish and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan will address the rally."

Tyagi also said the JD(U)’s national executive body meeting would be held in Patna in the last week of February and the NDA rally would most probably be held in the first week of March.

He said, the rally date would be finalised in consultation with the top leaders of BJP and LJP.