BJP keeps Narendra Modi out of Nitish?s Bihar

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar?s (JD-U) firm opposition to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has made the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) keep its senior leader out of the Bihar campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections.

According to reports on Friday, Modi does not feature in BJP?s list of campaigners in Bihar.

The list, submitted by the party at the Election Commission, includes 40 prominent BJP leaders like LK Advani, Nitin Gadkari, M M Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Ananth Kumar.

According to sources, BJP?s decision to keep Modi out of Bihar campaigning comes after the party?s differences with its old ally Janata Dal (United (JD-U) over Modi campaigning in Bihar showed no signs of respite even with approaching state elections.

On Sept 16, while informing that the two parties will fight the Bihar elections together, Nitish Kumar said the matter of Modi, Gujarat chief minister and the Hindutva brigade?s poster boy, campaigning in Bihar was an internal issue of the BJP.

?This question should be addressed to the BJP and they should look at it as it’s their internal matter. My stand has been clear on this since beginning,? Kumar had said when asked if there was any change in his opposition to Modi?s campaigning in Bihar.

He also added that the two parties will fight the polls on separate manifestos, though there understanding will remain intact.

The troubles between the two parties had emerged in June when Kumar had taken serious umbrage over a BJP advertisement during a meeting in Patna, showing Kumar holding hands with Modi.

Modi?s pro-Hindutva image could have a negative impact on Kumar?s secular image and fearing erosion of minority votes, the Bihar chief minister had distanced himself from his Gujarat counterpart.

The BJP is likely to launch its campaign from October 9 or 10 in Bihar.

Bihar goes to poll in six phases from October 21 to November 20 for its 243 assembly seats in which an estimated 5.50 crore electorate would exercise their franchise.