Campaign ended on Saturday for five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar which go to the polls in the fifth phase of general elections on May 6.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the campaigning from the front, holding a rally at Muzaffarpur where he canvassed in favor of the local BJP candidate as also nominees fielded by alliance partners the JD(U) and the LJP.
He described the ruling NDA in the state as a cohesive three in one entity and the opposition weak, loosely knit and helpless against menaces of black money, corruption and threats to national security.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, whose party is not contesting any of the five seats going to the polls on Monday, did not hold an election meeting in these constituencies which are, however, being contested by alliance partners in the 'Mahagathbandhan'.
BJP chief Amit Shah addressed rallies at Saran and Sitamarhi and spoke about the prime ministers commitment to his work which is evident from his having not taken a day off in 20 years.
In his speeches Shah sought to present a contrast with Gandhi whom he accused of going on a holiday every three to four months.
Bollywood actor and BJP MP Hema Malini held a rally at Sitamarhi where she expressed delight over the improved infrastructure in Bihar and recalled with amusement the 1990s when the then chief minister Lalu Prasads reported promise of making the potholed roads of the state as smooth as her cheeks had made headlines.
All the five seats going to polls in the fifth phase were won in 2014 by the NDA two each by BJP and LJP and one by Upendra Kushwahas RLSP, which quit the coalition last year and joined the 'Mahagathbandhan'.
Sitamarhi MP Ram Kumar Sharma, who had supported Kushwaha when he severed ties with the NDA, revolted after he was denied a ticket by RLSP, which is contesting five seats as against three five years ago.
He shared the stage with Amit Shah at the latters Sitamarhi rally dropping ample hints about his future political move. The seat has now gone to Chief Minister Nitish Kumars JD(U), which has fielded former MLA Sunil Kumar alias Pintu.
The party had earlier nominated Varun Kumar, but he declined to contest. Pintu faces Arjun Rai of RJD, who had won in 2009 on JD-U ticket.
BJP MPs Ajay Nishad and Rajiv Pratap Rudy are seeking re-election from their respective seats of Muzaffarpur and Saran respectively. Ajay faces another Nishad, Raj Bhushan Chaudhary fielded by the Mukesh Sahni-led VIP, which is seeking to assume leadership of the Nishads.
Rudy faces Chandrika Rai of RJD, father-in-law of Lalu Prasads elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav.
LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who has announced that he would no longer contest direct elections, has fielded his younger brother and state minister Pashupati Kumar Paras from his pocket borough of Hajipur.
In neighboring Vaishali, he has replaced mafia don-turned-politician Rama Singh with former BJP MLA Veena Devi, who is said to have joined LJP after her candidature was announced.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)