Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar doesn’t want either Gujarat CM Narendra Modi or Pilibhit BJP MP Varun Gandhi to campaign in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections, fearing this could have a negative impact on the JD(U)’s Muslim votebank carefully built up over years.
Mr Kumar, addressing JD(U) delegates on the last day of its national executive meeting here, indicated while Mr Modi’s presence was a clear “no no”, the JD(U) was yet to take a final call on Varun Gandhi. However, most leaders, including himself, were against it, the CM indicated.
Mr Kumar told partymen that the 2005 arrangement with the BJP on seat adjustments and campaign would be followed in this year’s polls as well, and added he would not tolerate any attempts to tinker with the 2005 formula.
“In the last Bihar Assembly elections, Mr Modi was not part of the BJP’s campaign. So this year too he cannot take part,” he said. A senior JD(U) leader said the matter had been decided between Mr Kumar and senior BJP leaders in Patna in early July.
JD(U) president Sharad Yadav also told reporters that the 2005 arrangement still held.
Other leaders noted that since Varun was not in active politics in 2005, a final decision on him was yet to be taken.
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Sonia back, core group meet soon
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has been away from the country for the past few days, has returned, well-placed sources said on Sunday night. The Congress Party, which had kept a number of important decisions pending, such as those on a caste-based census and the controversy over alleged irregularities in Commonwealth Games projects, will now take these up in her presence. The party’s powerful core committee, which also includes Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is also likely to meet sometime later this week.