After addressing three rallies in Bihar for the first two phases of Lok Sabha polls, all in favour of BJP ally JD-U’s candidates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be campaigning for the BJP candidate Pradip Kumar Singh of Araria on April 20. Araria goes to polls on April 23 and BJP has fielded Singh, despite him losing out to RJD in 2014.

Prior to this, the three meetings addressed by the PM had been in favour of JD (U) and LJP candidates.

“The PM’s Araria visit on April 20 is final and he may address six or seven meetings for the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls,” said Devesh Kumar, BJP state vice-president.

Party sources said that there is a probability of PM addressing meetings at Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Valmiki Nagar and Buxar as well. “The PM would be addressing 10-12 meetings in Bihar, the itinerary of which is still not final,” said a BJP leader.

In the next five phases, where polling will be held on 31 seats, BJP is contesting on 15.

The Darbhanga parliamentary seat which goes to poll on April 29, holds importance for BJP as the party has fielded a new face in Gopalji Thakur, who is pitted against RJD’s Abdul Bari Siddiqui. BJP’s sitting MP from Darbhanga, Kirti Azad has joined Congress and is contesting from Dhanbad in neighbouring Jharkhand.

First Published: Apr 13, 2019 08:32 IST