More than one Bharatiya Janata Party's star campaigner is giving a miss to its ongoing campaign in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls beginning October 21. Along with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, even BJP patriarch L K Advani is keeping away for now.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who roped in the BJP top brass including party president Nitin Gadkari for the campaign, decided to keep Modi away from the Bihar polls fearing loss of his secular face. And if sources from the party are to be believed, his reason to keep Advani away is no different.
The Bihar CM wanted Advani to refrain from campaigning in the Muslim-populated Seemachal belt of Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar going to polls during the first phase of the Bihar elections, say party insiders. However, BJP leaders were reluctant to speak on why the party's seniormost leader was not invited to campaign in the state till now.
Leaders from the BJP's alliance partner Janata Dal-United, who are close to Nitish Kumar, said post the Ayodhya verdict, Advani's presence will harm the reputation of the National Democratic Alliance government in Bihar, particularly in the sensitive Seemachal belt. "Advani symbolises the demolition of the Babri Masjid and his presence during the campaign can be counter-productive and is likely to give advantage to rivals like the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Lok Janshakti Party combine and the Congress by driving Muslim voters into their fold," said a JD-U leader.
With less than three days to go before the campaign for the first of the six-phase polls comes to an end, Advani is yet to address a public rally in Bihar. In fact, if the BJP's campaign schedules are to go by, then Advani hardly appears on the list.
"At present, Advaniji is not coming to campaign for the polls," a BJP leader from the campaign cell told rediff.com in Patna. But party sources say Advani is likely to campaign during the remaining phases of the Bihar polls.
The BJP is contesting 102 seats and the JD-U 141 of 243 assembly seats going to polls from October 21 to November 20 in Bihar.
