PM Modi is our face in all the 40 Lok Sabha seats here: Bihar Dy CM Samrat Choudhary

PATNA: Gung-ho over the ruling BJP's prospects in the Lok Sabha elections, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Thursday said the people have made up their minds to elect the party's candidates from all 40 seats in the state.

Speaking to ANI earlier on Thursday, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign-related visit to Bihar's Jamui, the BJP leader said, "PM Modi is our face in all the 40 Lok Sabha seats here. We are going into the elections under his leadership. He is visiting us for his first campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar and we will extend him a hearty welcome. The people of Bihar have made up their minds to send BJP members from all 40 seats in the state to the Lok Sabha."

Earlier, sharing his thoughts on PM Modi's maiden campaign-related visit to the state ahead of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls, NDA ally and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Thursday said he was privileged and honoured that the former was kicking off his election campaign in the state from Jamui.

"Even ahead of the last general elections (in 2019), PM Modi started his Bihar campaign from Jamui. It proved to be a good omen for us as the alliance (NDA) won 39 of the 40 seats in the state. Today, we are privileged to host him as he kicks off his campaign again from Jamui. This is an honour not just for the ruling alliance but also for the people of Jamui," Chirag said earlier in the day.

The sitting MP from Jamui, Chirag set aside the seat this time for his brother-in-law Arun Bharti, entering the fray, instead, from Hajipur, the preferred Lok Sabha seat of his father and the founder of the undivided LJP, Ram Vilas Paswan.

PM Modi, who visited the NDA-ruled state earlier after the frenetic sequence of events leading up to the change of guard at the helm, arrived in Bihar for the first time since the Election Commission (EC) came out with the full schedule for the Lok Sabha elections.

The Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, INC, and RLSP, managed to secure a lone seat in 2019.

The BJP won 17 seats, hogging a vote share of 24.1 per cent, while the JD(U) won 16 seats, receiving 22.3 per cent of the total votes polled.

The LJP won 6 seats, drawing a vote share of 8 per cent.

The Congress could only secure one seat, receiving only 7.9 per cent of the total votes polled.

Bihar will poll for the Lok Sabha in all seven phases, with the first scheduled to be held on April 19. The second phase is scheduled on April 26, the third on May 7, the fourth on May 13, the fifth on May 20, the sixth on May 25, and the seventh and final phase of polling on June 1.