Lalu’s daughters sweat it out as poll heat rises
Misa Bharti, who is contesting the Patliputra seat, campaigns ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
Both sisters begin their day by meeting people and discussing the campaign trail that last almost 12 hours every day amid the scorching 40 degrees Celsius heat. Once on the trail, there are roadshows and ‘jan samvad’ meets (interaction with people), with both sisters visiting 40 to 45 localities a day besides holding small public meetings.
With her 10-SUV cavalcade, Ms. Bharti left Gaushala towards Bihta where she was scheduled to hold a roadshow and meet
workers. At Ahiyarpur, she boarded another car. As the convoy trundled, speakers blared Bhojpuri songs in Ms. Bharti’s support. In front of the cavalcade, RJD supporters sat in an open jeep shouting slogans in her support. Amid the din, one could hear “Misa Bharti zindabaad, Ram Kripal murdabad”.
As Ms. Bharti emerged through the car’s roof, a party worker gave her a scarf with the RJD symbol that she wrapped around her forehead. With folded hands she greeted voters with a big smile as party workers perched atop an earthmover showered her with ®owers. Many women greeted her with a tilak.
“Is baar apni beti ko jitana hai Patliputra se [This time, make sure your daughter wins from Patliputra],” she told the crowd. Addressing party workers, Ms. Bharti slammed the incumbent MP Mr. Yadav and said he has not done any work in the constituency.
Asked about her chances, Naveen Kumar, a farmer said, “Abhi kya bole, result dekhiyega [What to say now, check the results].”
In Chapra, Ms. Acharya too greeted people with folded hands and was showered with ®owers by party workers who told people how Ms. Acharya donated her kidney to save her father.
The RJD’s district general secretary, Sagar Nausher Vaan, knocked at the doors of residents at Dahiyawa locality shouting, “Lalu ji ki beti aaye hai, bahar nikalkar jeet ka ashirvaad de dijiye [Lalu’s daughter has come, please come outside wish her victory].”
When an elderly woman opened the door, Ms. Acharya came out of her SUV and touched her feet. Women in large numbers welcomed her and at many places o«ered her sattu juice, a common refreshment in Bihar. During the interaction, the women discussed their problems with Ms. Acharya, she kept on listening to them carefully and promised to solve it once she becomes the MP of Saran.
The Saran seat which Ms. Acharya is trying to win was once a stronghold of Mr. Prasad. The RJD chief had won the seat in 1977, 1989, 2004 and 2009. In 2014, his wife unsuccessfully contested the election and in 2019, Chandrika Rai, the father of Mr. Prasad’s daughter-in-law, was defeated by Mr. Rudy.
Saran will vote in the fth phase on May 20 while Patliputra will vote in the seventh phase to be held on June 1.
The BJP has resorted to a poll blitzkrieg in Odisha with visits by its top leadership prominently featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the forefront — a strategy seemingly aimed at reshaping the narrative as the State gears up for the polls in just a week.
The BJP’s top leadership, including Mr. Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External A«airs Minister S. Jaishankar, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, will crisscross the State for poll campaign this week.
Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav has been assigned the task of the State BJP’s election management, with him based out of Bhubaneswar.
Mr. Modi is arriving on a two-day visit to the State on Sunday. After making a night halt at the Raj Bhavan here, he will ®y down to Berhampur and Nabarangpur to address two public meetings on May 6. He may return to the State for holding a roadshow in Bhubaneswar on May 10, though the schedule has not been nalised. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Odisha during all four phases of elections to bolster the prospects of party candidates.
Intellectual meets
Mr. Jaishankar has been tasked with addressing intellectual meets in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Sambalpur. The Minister, who arrived in Bhubaneswar on May 4, is highlighting improvement in India’s global image under Mr. Modi’s rule. Similarly, Mr. Singh is scheduled to address a rally in Rayagada on May 8. Mr. Vaishnaw, who was former District Collector of Balasore, has been asked to help the party candidate Pratap Sarangi from there.
The Odisha unit of the BJP has been informed