BJP Mobilises Cadre To Ensure Migrant Voters Stay In Bihar Till Polling

With the two-phase Bihar Assembly elections scheduled on November 6 and November 11, the Bharatiya Janata Party has launched a door-to-door campaign aimed at persuading migrant workers who return home for the Chhath Puja to remain in the state long enough to cast their votes.

According to government data, about 45.78 lakh residents of Bihar work in other states, and another 2.17 lakh are employed abroad. These 4.8 million-plus migrants mostly come home for Chhath but face the dilemma of staying an extra week to vote in Phase 1 (November 6) or returning swiftly to their jobs to avoid financial loss.

Sources within the BJP told NDTV that the party has directed its booth-level units to begin door-to-door outreach within 48 hours after Chhath festivities end, targeting the families of migrant workers to convince them to stay. "Staying back for nine days after Chhath for the first phase of voting is indeed a difficult ask, but we are trying to ensure it by mitigating their problems. Our purpose is not only to get their votes but also to encourage them to participate in the festival of democracy," they said.

In some constituencies, local party workers are reportedly negotiating with employers of migrant workers outside Bihar and even organising post-poll return logistics. The focus is on districts with the highest out-migration, such as East Champaran (6.14 lakh), Patna (5.68 lakh), Siwan (5.48 lakh), Muzaffarpur (4.31 lakh), and Darbhanga (4.3 lakh).

For the BJP, retaining these migrant voters, often from economically weaker sections, is seen as crucial in closely fought seats. The door-to-door campaign, they believe, will help transform a festival-homecoming into a well-timed electoral advantage.