PM may begin poll campaign in Bihar on Feb. 9

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 3. The Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, is expected to devote three days to campaigning in Bihar, one in each of the phases of polling in the State, and he will also give two days to Orissa, where the polling is in two phases, and one day to Haryana.

Although his election tour dates have yet to be firmed up, party leaders say he is expected to begin the campaign in Bihar around February 9. Leaders of some of the BJP's allies in Bihar are expected to join the Prime Minister's meetings, although nothing has yet taken concrete shape.

According to the BJP, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi was the first senior leader from here to begin the Bihar campaign today in areas around Ranchi, and Mr. L. K. Advani would join the effort on February 6 at Bhagalpur.

A number of BJP stalwarts are expected to make the party electioneering a big show - several chief ministers and ex- chief ministers, including Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Mr. Sahib Singh and Mr. Madan Lal Khurana, and others including Central Ministers like Mr. Pramod Mahajan and Mr. Arun Jaitley. Ms. Uma Bharti, who recently resigned from the Council of Ministers, will also participate in the electioneering.

The party spokesperson, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, today said Bihar would see a joint campaign, but he failed to announce any joint rally in the State. Instead, he said a decision had been taken that senior BJP leaders would also address election meetings in constituencies where the allies were fielding candidates, and leaders of allies would also campaign in BJP constituencies.

There was good news for the party from Bellary in Karnataka, where the JD(U) candidate had withdrawn in favour of the BJP nominee, Mr. Veera Bhadra, Mr. Naidu said. This would certainly help prevent the splitting of anti-Congress votes in a constituency where the Congress(I) had so far never lost an election.

The party announced its remaining candidates from Haryana. The BJP would be fielding 28 candidates in 29 constituencies, with Mr. Ram Vilas Sharma, leader of the party's legislative party, contesting from both Mahendragarh and Ballabhgarh. ``This is to balance the fact that Mr. Om Prakash Chautala, leader of the Indian National Lok Dal, is also contesting from two constituencies,'' Mr. Narendra Modi, in- charge of Haryana, said. It was not because Mr. Sharma was unsure of winning his seat, he added. (``Veh khare hain or lad rahe hain, ladkhada nahin rahe.'')

The decision of Ms. Meira Kumar, Congress(I) Working Committee member, to quit the Congress(I), had also come as a boost to the BJP just ahead of the Bihar campaign. Although there were reports that she might be making her way to the BJP, party leaders pleaded lack of information. ``What we do know is that Congressmen are leaving their party,'' Mr. Naidu said.

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