Bihar elections: PM Narendra Modi to launch campaign in Samastipur, hold second rally in Begusarai on Oct 24

PATNA/BEGUSARAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch his Bihar election campaign from Samastipur on Oct 24, followed by another rally in Begusarai on the same day, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal said on Sunday. “The PM’s election rallies are also scheduled in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra on Oct 30. Details of the venues on Nov 2, 3, 6 and 7 will be shared in due course,” he added.Samastipur, the birthplace of former CM Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur, has been selected for Modi’s first election rally to send a political message among the dalits and extremely backward castes in the state. Thakur’s granddaughter, Jagriti Thakur, is contesting the Morwa seat on a Jan Suraaj ticket of Prashant Kishor. Modi will visit Smriti Bhavan, built at Karpoori’s ancestral home, to garland his statue before addressing the rally. The DM and SP visited Karpoori Gram on Sunday to inspect the venue.Begusarai will host Modi’s second rally of the day, marking his fourth public meeting in the district as Prime Minister. Union minister and Begusarai MP Giriraj Singh confirmed the visit. Modi had earlier held three rallies in Begusarai, including the 2015 ‘Parivartan rally’, which launched the NDA campaign for the assembly elections, and meetings in Feb 2019 and March 2024, both accompanied by chief minister Nitish Kumar. During these visits, Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth more than Rs 1.62 lakh crore, highlighting the development initiatives of the NDA govt.Jaiswal said these rallies form part of an intensive campaign strategy to energise voters across Bihar. Union home minister Amit Shah has already set the tone of the NDA campaign by addressing a rally at Taraiya in Saran on Oct 17, attacking the opposition and emphasising the development model of the state govt since Nitish Kumar assumed office in Nov 2005.Begusarai holds symbolic importance for the NDA, having witnessed Modi’s engagement with local communities over the years, including inaugurations and visits to sites affected by past violence.