The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to pack a punch by fielding its star campaigners over the next three phases of the Bihar Assembly polls. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to address 17 rallies over the next week.

But it’s not just Modi and BJP President Amit Shah that the party is counting on. There are other star campaigners in the NDA who will be in great demand over the next few weeks and will reach out to voters with a series of rallies.

The most popular among them is Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan.

The star among stars

Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav called him “accha mausam vaigyanik [a good weather scientist]” when he joined hands with the NDA before the 2014 general elections. The remark may have been made in jest, but Paswan’s LJP did end up with a good number of seats and he himself won a portfolio in Modi’s Cabinet.

This year, he is the best star campaigner for not only the LJP, but also for the NDA. He has done around four dozen rallies till now, and is set to do another two dozen till the third phase of polling begins. His son Chirag Paswan is also in great demand, trailing close behind his father in terms of the number of rallies.

LJP has a list of about 36 start campaigners. Some big names include such heavyweights as the former Member of Parliament Suraj Bhan Singh, Mehboob Ali Kaiser, LJP State President Pashupatinath Paras, Vijay Singh and Keshav Singh.

Most LJP candidates have also asked for BJP leaders to campaign in their areas. Rajnath Singh tops the list among all, although Sushil Modi and Ravi Shankar Prasad have also done a good number of rallies in LJP seats. Rajnath Singh is in demand because LJP candidates want to woo Rajput and upper caste voters. On the other hand, former aide of Lalu and now a BJP MP, Ram Kripal Yadav, is also in great demand by LJP candidates.

BJP’s blue-eyed campaigner and one of the best election warriors, Rajeev Pratap Rudy, is going to address a massive number of small and big rallies and road shows in almost all areas. Backed by a team of creative and technical planners, Rudy is busy addressing rural voters on a daily basis and he is also present at all rallies of Modi and Shah.

Talking about the NDA’s campaigning plans ahead, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Amit Shah has executed a vibrant and valid experiment by deploying senior leaders at various districts so that they can connect with every small and big voter. “The national president is camping at Muzaffarpur these days and I will be camping at Mithilanchal region. I will be connecting with people of Darbhanga and Madhubani for the next seven days. We have a good number of senior leaders in NDA from all castes and we had made plans to use their power and persona in these elections in a categorical manner,” he said.

Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief Upendra Kushwaha is also in demand in some of the seats by BJP candidates. Kushwaha has done some two dozen rallies in almost all areas. Similarly, Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi is also in heavy demands, especially in areas where Dalits dominate in terms of numbers.

NDA projected its woman power with a series of regular rallies by Union Human Resources and Development Minister Smriti Irani in phase one and two. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is also set to address rallies to woo more women voters for the NDA.

A BJP insider said the NDA has made varied plans using star campaigners in all seats, but unlike the grand alliance, they are not going to reveal their plans to the media. The source added that both Paswan and Manjhi have been fielded for rallies and campaigns after proper planning since the Pasis and Dalits believe them to be their leaders.

The NDA believes it can win the battle for Bihar with the launch of every small and big weapon, read regional and national campaigners. The swelling number of campaigners at its rallies, it believes, is a good sign.