How Haryana BJP is crafting a meticulous campaign to woo Bihar-origin voters ahead of polls

Gurugram: With the Bihar assembly elections just months away, the Haryana BJP, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, is leaving no stone unturned to mobilise the Bihar voters residing in the state.

In a meticulously designed campaign, the party is compiling detailed databases of Bihari migrants, planning to facilitate their travel back home during the polls, and strengthening the party’s ties with this significant voter base by connecting with them through Chhath Puja organisers and initiatives like Bihar Divas.

The BJP’s campaign to engage with the voters of Bihar residing in Haryana is being executed with military precision across all the 22 districts.

Saini’s media coordinator Ashok Chhabra told ThePrint Monday that a special team led by BJP leader Amarjeet Singh—a former Haryana civil services officer who had served as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to ex-CM Manohar Lal Khattar—and the party’s state general secretary Dr Archana Gupta is spearheading the effort.

The team is collecting granular data on Bihari migrants, including contact details, residential addresses in their state, and information about their relatives in government jobs in Haryana.

“Our focus is not just on industrial hubs like Gurugram, Faridabad, Panipat, Rohtak, and Sonipat, where Bihari migrants are concentrated in large numbers, but even if we find 10 labourers in a small town like Gohana, we will reach out to them,” Chhabra said.

He emphasised that the party’s engagement extends beyond electoral outreach, and it plans to facilitate the travel of these voters to their hometowns around the polling day. “This is how the BJP manages its elections,” he added.

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‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’

When contacted Monday, Dr Archana Gupta elaborated on the campaign’s scope, noting it is being run under the aegis of the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ programme launched by PM Modi in 2015.

“Our grassroots workers are contacting organisers of the Chhath Pujas in various districts and small towns to connect with people from Bihar,” she told ThePrint.

“On 23 March, the Haryana government celebrated Bihar Divas on a mega scale in seven districts—Panipat, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Sonipat, Faridabad, and Gurugram—mobilising Bihari migrants from across the state,” Gupta said.

She, however, added the party’s outreach to Bihari migrants should not be viewed in the context of upcoming Bihar elections.

“Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat is not a new programme. PM Narendra Modi launched this in 2015. The BJP is reaching out to the people of Bihar origin, intending to give them the confidence that they are cared for in Haryana, hundreds of kilometres from their state. Before the BJP came to power, migrants from Bihar were looked down upon by people. But now, they know the ruling party gives them the respect they deserve,” Gupta added.

While the party is yet to ascertain the exact number of Bihari residents in Haryana, the 2011 Census pegged the figure at 3.90 lakh, making Bihar the third-largest source state for migrants in Haryana after Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Given Bihar’s high population growth rate (projected at 1.42 percent in 2025) and Haryana’s industrial boom, estimates suggest the number could now range between 5 to 7 lakh.

Party workers are collaborating with local Chhath Puja organisers to identify and register voters, creating lists with names, occupations, addresses in Bihar, and mobile numbers. In industrial towns, the party is also engaging factory and company owners to access data on Bihari workers. “This is not just about votes. It’s about building a sustained connection with the community,” said Chhabra.

The Haryana government’s celebration of Bihar Divas in March 2025 was a strategic move to showcase its commitment to Bihari migrants. The events featured cultural programmes, job fairs, and interactions with BJP leaders, reinforcing the party’s narrative of inclusive development.

“These events were a signal to the community that the BJP values their contribution to Haryana’s growth and is invested in their welfare,” Chhabra added.

The BJP’s focus on Bihari voters in Haryana is driven by the high stakes in the Bihar assembly elections.

The BJP-led NDA, comprising the Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha, has set an ambitious target of winning 225 of the 243 seats in Bihar while launching “Mission-2025” in January this year.

The coalition faces a formidable challenge from the Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and including the Congress and other parties.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA secured a lead in 174 Assembly segments in Bihar, a performance the BJP aims to consolidate in the state polls.

Haryana’s Bihari migrants, concentrated in urban and industrial centres, represent a crucial vote bank that could influence outcomes in several Bihar constituencies.

The Gurugram microcosm

In Gurugram, the BJP’s efforts are particularly intense, given the city’s estimated 2 lakh Bihari residents. Over the past month, the party has held four meetings at its Gurukamal office to fine-tune its strategy.

On Sunday, a key meeting chaired by District President Sarvapriya Tyagi focused on organising Bihari voters. “We are identifying voters, supporters, and workers from Bihar under the leadership of mandal presidents. Factory owners and other establishments are helping us compile these lists,” said Manish Yadav, the BJP’s coordinator for the campaign in Gurugram.

Gurugram’s strategic importance lies in its large Bihari population and its proximity to Delhi, making it a hub for coordinating outreach efforts.

(Edited By Ajeet Tiwari)

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