PM Modi campaigns for 'little brother' Chirag Paswan in Jamui
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for Chirag Paswan on Thursday and said he was happy the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader had taken over the role of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan.
"Glad...little brother Chirag has stepped into the shoes of my friend late Ram Vilas Paswan," PM Modi said.
Paswan thanked PM Modi for picking Jamui to launch the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s campaign for the general election in Bihar, as the seat is being contested by the LJP.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats. Out of the 40, five seats were assigned to the LJP as part of a seat-sharing arrangement reached with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Paswan's LJP will contest from Vaishali, Hajipur, Samastipur, Khagaria, and Jamui.
For the NDA to meet its target of 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, the alliance needs all its parties to unite.
Alliance support
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attended the rally
The event was attended by representatives from all factions of the BJP-led coalition, showcasing unity within the ruling NDA in Bihar.
Among those present was Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who recently defected from the opposition bloc to the NDA. Since then, he has maintained a low profile until Thursday.
Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha also attended the rally.
Rally speech
PM Modi's address targets opposition
In his address to the crowd, PM Modi praised Bihar CM Kumar for maintaining an "unblemished record" and criticized the Congress for tarnishing India's reputation.
He indirectly targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress alliance in Delhi, accusing them of uniting against him despite previous corruption allegations.
The prime minister also accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress combine of opposing a tribal woman's election as president and showing disrespect toward the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Election strategy
BJP's seat distribution in Bihar
In this election, the BJP is contesting 17 of Bihar's 40 seats, while the Janata Dal (United) is vying for 16.
The LJP will contest five seats, while one seat each have been allocated to the Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party.
The BJP aims to replicate its successful performance in the 2019 elections in Bihar, where it won all 17 contested seats.