As campaigning for the third and final phase of Bihar Assembly elections drew to a close on Thursday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an appeal to the voters of the state in a letter posted on his official Twitter handle.
Endorsing the National Democratic Alliance’s chief ministerial candidate, he said: “I need Nitish Kumar’s government in Bihar to ensure that development in the state does not hit a roadblock.”
The prime minister said that he was proud that the focus in Bihar election was on development. “We did not just present our report card, but also gave a vision to the people of Bihar,” Modi said. “People believe that only the NDA can deliver on the development plank.”
He claimed that under Kumar’s tenure, the state has witnessed improvement in maintenance of law and order and in terms of infrastructure. “Redevelopment is impossible if anarchy and lack of order prevails,” Modi said in an apparent reference to the Opposition.
He then went on to list the achievements of the ruling government, led by Kumar, in the fields of electricity, water supply, health and education. He also briefed upon schemes provided by the Centre for the poor, women and elderly people.
The prime minister said that if voted to power in the state, the NDA government would focus on projects related to “connectivity”, that will enhance “ease of living” in Bihar.
Modi concluded the letter saying that votes have been cast in Bihar “not on caste, but on development; not on false promises but on firm resolution; not on bad but good governance; not on corruption, but on honesty”.
The third phase of the Bihar elections will see 78 constituencies go to polls on November 7. The first phase on October 28 witnessed nearly 55% turnout across 71 seats, while the 94 seats in the second phase recorded over 53% turnout.
The results for all 243 seats will be declared on November 10.
Meanwhile Kumar, who is seeking a third term in the ongoing elections said at a rally on Thursday that this was his last election. The Janata Dal (United) and BJP are contesting the ongoing Bihar Assembly elections together, while the opposition Grand Alliance comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and Left parties.
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