‘Main bhi Nitish Kumar’: JD(U) shapes campaign around Bihar CM ahead of Assembly elections

Bihar Assembly election 2020: JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar will seek a fourth consecutive win this election.

The Janata Dal (United) led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked the party workers to pull up their socks as the Assembly elections in the state draw near. In a bid to enthuse the party foot soldiers ahead of the polls, the party has coined a new catchphrase — “main bhi Nitish Kumar” (I too am Nitish Kumar).

Senior party leaders are already busy holding orientation workshops for grassroots-level workers over video conferences for the past two weeks.

CM Nitish Kumar himself has held district-wise interactions with the party workers and leaders through video conferencing. He recently held a six-day ‘virtual sammelan’ with the party’s grassroots workers spread across all 38 districts of the state. He asked workers to increase their presence on social media platforms by creating WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages, which could serve as an interface between the party and the masses.

Kumar, however, has stopped all such meetings in view of twin problems — coronavirus and floods. Although Kumar appears to be well-ensconced with ally BJP in the electoral battle, the JD(U) national president understands that the opposition alliance could pose a threat to his prospect as there is growing anger among the public against his government’s handling of the coronavirus situation and floods in north Bihar. Kumar, therefore, has been pushing the leaders to hold sessions with the ground workers to enthuse them.

Senior party leaders who are engaged in activities for canvassing party workers include Rajya Sabha MP RCP Singh, Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, state ministers Sanjay Kumar Jha, Bijendra Yadav and Ashok Choudhary.

As part of preparation for the upcoming polls, RCP Singh has coined a new catchphrase “main bhi hoon Nitish Kumar” (I too am Nitish Kumar) in a bid to enthuse the ground workers. Singh also holds the key party post of national general secretary (organization).

The catchphrase coined by Singh is said to be inspired from a poem penned by JD(U) media cell chief Amardeep and bore a canny resemblance to the “main bhi chowkidar” slogan which was adopted by the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which it won with a thumping majority.

The BJP and JD(U) share power in the state. The two parties have been ruling in the state since 2005, barring the 2013-17 period.

The Janata Dal (United) has also asked its rank and file to ramp up their presence on social media platforms with a special focus on first-time voters.

The upcoming election would be the first state elections after the COVID outbreak. Also, Nitish Kumar’s arch-rival Lalu Prasad Yadav will be missing from action as he is serving life imprisonment for his involvement in a multi-crore fodder scam.

While Nitish Kumar will seek a fourth consecutive win, it will be a do or die battle for the RJD which is currently led by Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav.