After BJP's fallout with JDU-led Bihar government, Amit Shah to tour state in September 3rd week

By Payal Mehta
New Delhi [India] September 2 : Bihar unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up to welcome Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is scheduled to visit the state in the third week of September.
According to available information, Shah is slated to be present in the Seemanchal region on September 23-24. He is expected to hold a rally in the Purnia district on September 23, followed by organisational meetings in Kishanganj on September 24.
This visit by the former party national president comes at a crucial juncture after the recent break-up of the party's alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United (JDU), which teamed up with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to form the government in the state, leaving the BJP to fight its own battle in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The Seemanchal belt is a Muslim-dominated belt where the JDU-RJD-Congress powered Mahagathbandhan alliance has a significant presence and a few months ago four MLAs from Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party had also jumped ship to the Tejashwi Yadav's RJD.
"We have been holding meetings in various parts of the state and this time the focus will be on the Seemanchal belt," party state president Sanjay Jaiswal told ANI on the upcoming visit of Shah.
"Apart from the public rally we will have meetings with the organisation and also hold a core group meeting to further strategise our approach in the state," Jaiswal said.
Meanwhile, it is known through sources that apart from meeting workers from the region the Union Home Minister will also be holding a key strategy meeting with his party leaders to look at the challenges ahead including preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The BJP along with a couple of smaller allies is expected to fight the elections minus the JD(U).
A review will also be taken and feedback sought from leaders who toured the state covering all 200 assembly constituencies to get feedback from people on the ground and to assess the ground realities after the recent alliance break-up.
"We believe in the public mandate and that mandate was for BJP in the 2020 Assembly polls. Therefore when the Home Minister and other leaders visit the state we will go to the people to talk about the work done by the Modi government through these eight years and present before them the central government schemes," Bettiah MP Sanjay Jaiswal told ANI.
The Seemanchal region spans seven districts covering 24 assembly seats. The population of Muslims in this belt crosses 47 per cent.