NEW DELHI: Alinagar, a constituency in Bihar’s Darbhanga, was catapulted into limelight when BJP decided to field Maithili Thakur, a popular young folk singer, as its candidate. The high-profile candidature immediately ignited resistance from the grassroots, with old party faithfuls threatening to contest as rebels and jeopardise PM Narendra Modi’s experiment of bringing the young into the party.Enter: Amit Shah, home minister and a veteran of several campaigns. Shah tirelessly worked phone lines to mollify each “aggrieved” soul, clearing the way to victory for Thakur on a seat considered “adverse” for BJP. Many in the party, both in Delhi and Patna, attributed the landslide win to Shah’s tireless work that involved 46 engagements, in harnessing Modi’s popularity and goodwill for CM Nitish Kumar for NDA’s candidates. Reacting to the results, Shah said in 11 years, the PM has worked wholeheartedly for Bihar, and CM Nitish Kumar has worked to pull the state out of the darkness of “jungle raj.” “A heartfelt salute to the people of ‘Bihar Bhumi’, ‘the protectors of knowledge, hard work and democracy,” Shah said.”Every single vote cast by the people of Bihar is a symbol of trust in the Modi govt’s policy against infiltrators who threaten India’s security and resources – and against those who support them. The public has given a strong answer to those who protect infiltrators for the sake of votebank politics,” he said. Terming the poll results as a “victory of every Bihari” who believes in a “developed Bihar,” Shah said those who practice ‘Jungle Raj’ and politics of appeasement will not get an opportunity to plunder.
