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The electoral battle for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections has extended far beyond the state’s borders, with the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) planning to launch an ambitious, massive mobilisation drive to send an estimated two and a half to three lakh Bihari migrant voters back to their home state to cast their ballots. This unprecedented move is part of the BJP’s comprehensive strategy to maximise voter turnout in the festival of democracy in Bihar. The move is also aimed to ensure that these migrant workers use their right to vote and motivate others also to do the same irrespective of their voting preferences. A source in Haryana BJP told News18, “The party has identified a significant population of Bihari migrants residing across 10 districts in Haryana. The majority of these voters are industrial labourers concentrated in the NCR’s factory hubs, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonipat, Panipat, and Karnal. We have established continuous contact with over 1 lakh of these voters. The campaign aims to ensure these registered voters, whose original votes lie in Bihar, are present on election day. The party’s outreach focuses on promoting the ‘good governance’ message of the BJP government, drawing a stark contrast with the past.” The scale of the plan is evident in districts like Panipat, which alone is reported to host 25,000 Bihari migrant voters. While a small fraction (around 2,300) has permanently settled and had their names removed from the Bihar voter list under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the vast majority remains eligible to vote in Bihar. To facilitate this, the party is dispatching over 500 Vistarakas (campaign workers) from Panipat alone to Bihar, tasked with voter mobilisation and engagement. The political significance of this undertaking is underlined by the involvement of the highest level of state leadership. Top state leaders reportedly held multiple meetings last week to personally oversee the logistics for the migrants and responsibilities were assigned to local leaders of the party to carry out the task. Crucially, the BJP is addressing the logistical and economic challenges faced by the labourers. Haryana BJP leaders are actively contacting factory owners to request and arrange paid leave for the Bihari migrant voters, removing a major obstacle to their participation in the democratic process. To ensure seamless travel, the party is also planning to operate special buses from Haryana to Bihar starting around November 1 or 2, with return facilities also promised. Furthermore, the party had already deployed a formidable team of leaders to manage the Bihar election campaign. 50 senior leaders and ministers from the Haryana BJP have been assigned special duties, including prominent figures like Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar, and Haryana Ministers Vipul Goyal, Rao Narbir Singh and others. Out of this group, 25 leaders are already on duty in Bihar, signalling the gravity with which the party is approaching the migrant voter segment. The move marks a significant escalation in the inter-state political manoeuvring for the Bihar polls, highlighting the critical role migrant workers now play as a decisive swing vote. Moreover, the Haryana government this time had made special and extensive arrangements for Chhath Puja in the state. Chief Minister Nayab Saini had given district administration instructions to make extensive arrangements for Chhath Puja in Gurugram, Faridabad, and Panchkula. These efforts include preparing ghats with sanitation, lighting, and security, as well as managing crowds and traffic for the safety and convenience of devotees.
