By IANS,
Patna: Plugging development as his main poll plank, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been urging people at several campaign rallies to vote and give him another term to enable him complete the development tasks he had begun.
With just over a week to go for the first stage of the six-phased assembly poll, Nitish Kumar is seeking votes to fulfill his dream of a developed Bihar.
“Give me another five-year term to complete the unfinished task of development,” Nitish Kumar said in one of his public rallies in the Kosi region.
Forty-seven of the 243 assembly seats go to polls in the first phase Oct 21 in Kosi and Seemanchal region.
Nitish Kumar has been camping in Madhepura for the last five days to campaign for his party candidates in the Kosi and Seemanchal belt. He has been addressing eight to nine public meetings per day and also meets workers and leaders to read the mood of the people.
Nitish Kumar also never fails to remind the electorate about his ‘susashan’ (good-governance) as opposed to the ‘jungle raj’ (misrule) during Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s reign.
“It is for you to decide what you want to move on ahead,” the chief minister told people gathered in another one of his poll meetings during the last four days.
At a public meeting in Alamnagar in Madhepura Tuesday, Nitish Kumar pleaded with people to strengthen his hands to fulfill their dream.
“I had initiated development and I am sure that Bihar would be a developed state if I am provided another chance to complete the development work,” he said.
During his campaign, Nitish Kumar has been reminding people that Bihar is already on the development path and will be a developed state by 2015 if he is returned to power.
Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JD-U) is contesting from 141 seats and its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 102. The Bihar assembly has 243 seats.
He said that Bihar would continue to march ahead under his rule.
“In the first four-and-a-half years, I tried for development that is visible all around. We can say with confidence that the law and order situation has improved to such an extent that even women dare to go out of the house at night. There is no fear in the air,” Nitish Kumar said at another rally to woo voters in the name of development.
He recalled in public meetings that there was fear and terror across the state before his government was formed in November 2005. But now the rule of law has been established and criminals fear the law as more than 50,000 had been convicted for their crimes during his rule.
Nitish Kumar has also promised people that electricity would not be a problem in the next four to five years. “Each house would be provided electricity and Bihar would have surplus power to supply,” he asserted.
At present, Bihar is a power-starved state and dependent on the central pool supply for millions across the state still turn to lanterns for light after dark.
Bihar will elect a 243-member house in staggered election that begins Oct 21 and ends Nov 20. The results will be known Nov 24.