In the heart of Bihar, Patna became the hub where BJP luminary JP Nadda orchestrated an extensive conclave with Bihar’s luminaries. This rendezvous unfolded in the wake of a subdued turnout during the inaugural leg of the Lok Sabha electoral saga in the state, as divulged by informed sources.
The electoral fray unfurled across four constituencies in Bihar during the maiden phase—Aurangabad, Nawada, Gaya, and Jamui—on the 19th of April. The electoral registers marked a participation rate hovering around 49 per cent, witnessing a 5 per cent regression from the benchmark set during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
According to the grapevine, the BJP’s echelons are perturbed by the tepid voter turnout in Bihar. It has transpired that Nadda, post his vocal engagements in Bhagalpur, Jhanjharpur, and Khagaria, diverted his itinerary and alighted in Patna.
Nadda’s trajectory led him straight from Patna Airport to Hotel Maurya, where he convened with Bihar’s luminaries. He solicited inputs from each attendee before proceeding to the BJP’s state enclave. A congregation of the election management committee ensued at the state headquarters, marked by Nadda’s apprehensions regarding the lackluster electoral participation during the initial phase.
“JP Nadda delineated directives to the provincial hierarchs to escalate the voter turnout,” sources disclosed. The provincial leadership was entrusted with the onus of bolstering the voter engagement to a scale ranging between 70 to 75 per cent for the ensuing phase. Nadda enjoined the leaders to embark on a grassroots campaign, imploring constituents to traverse to the polling stations. Additionally, expatriates were impelled to return to Bihar and champion the cause of ballot casting, as relayed by the sources.