This Article is From Jul 22, 2015

Nitish Kumar to Woo Non-Resident Biharis in Delhi, Mumbai

Nitish Kumar to Woo Non-Resident Biharis in Delhi, Mumbai

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to visit Delhi and Mumbai, where he will reach out to Biharis living there.

Patna: Nitish Kumar, in full election mode, will set out soon to woo the non-resident Bihari.

The effort will take the Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal United leader to Delhi and Mumbai, where meetings of a think tank, Bihar Foundation, will be held. Mr Kumar, said sources, is expected to interact with prominent people from Bihar who live in the two mega cities.

He will ask for help with investment in the state and use this as an ideas-sharing forum. The Delhi meeting is on August 1.  

Efforts are also on, said sources, to organise big Nitish Kumar rallies in both metros, where millions of Biharis live.

The rally in Delhi could have Mr Kumar share stage with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The two chief minsters have met frequently in recent days and Mr Kejriwal has said his Aam Aadmi Party or AAP will not put up any candidates in Bihar to help consolidate the anti-BJP vote in favour of Mr Kumar's coalition.

AAP had won a large chunk of the substantial Bihari vote in Delhi in assembly elections held in February this year and the new friendship is seen as mutually beneficial. Mr Kumar has reiterated his support for Mr Kejriwal in his confrontation with the BJP-led Centre.

Mr Kumar also hopes to leverage the appeal of Mr Kejriwal among young voters and there has been talk that the Aam Aadmi Party chief could address a rally in Bihar.

At the proposed rally in Mumbai, where Biharis have often been targeted by the Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Narvnirman Sena, Nitish Kumar could share stage with Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party, an ally in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar's new-look election strategy is being crafted by Pravin Kishor, who introduced high-tech blitz into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's national campaign. For Mr Kumar, he has created a back-to-basics approach that will see him participate in big outreach programmes.
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