Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been BJP-led NDA's face in Bihar election campaign so far. His presence in Bihar has been so much that even local BJP leaders were pushed to the shadows, leaving leaders of other parties wondering whether the PM is NDA's CM candidate in the state!
However, all that is about to change.
As per newspaper reports, the BJP has now decided to shift the focus from PM Modi and party president Amit Shah to state leaders like Sushil Modi, CP Thakur and Ashwini Choubey.
As per Navbharat Times, the reason behind the move is not really about projecting state leaders but to protect Modi and Shah.
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The party is fast realising, as per reports, that the outcome of the election may turn out to be different from what it is expecting and that would prove to be a loss of face for the top two leaders of the party.
As a result, the BJP has already cancelled PM Modi's rallies in Bihar scheduled for today (October 16) - election meetings scheduled for October 22 are also likely to meet a similar fate.
Also, posters featuring Modi and Shah are being taken down and replaced with those featuring Sushil Modi and other state leaders.
The Hindi daily reported that party slogans have also undergone change - from 'Abki baar Modi sarkaar' to 'Badaliye sarkaar, badaliye Bihar'.
The party has been forced on the backfoot apparently after poll surveys showed the BJP was not on a strong footing. Even pre-poll surveys conducted just before the first phase of elections had predicted a better showing for the Grand Secular Alliance of Nitish-Modi than the NDA.
