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It is a double century with a difference for cricketer turned politician Tejashwi Yadav.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav has addressed more than 200 meetings so far in Bihar during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.
It is a double century with a difference for the cricketer turned politician, who is the lead campaigner for the Opposition Mahagathbandhan in the state.
Not only do RJD candidates rely on Tejashwi to campaign for them, but nominees fielded by constituents of the Mahagathbandan -- the Congress, the Left parties and Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party -- want him to canvass votes in their constituencies as well.
Tejashwi shared a video on X on Thursday, May 23, enjoying cake in a helicopter with Mukesh Sahni, stating that it is a celebration for completing 200 election rallies.
Sahni has accompanied Tejashwi in the helicopter for many of his election rallies since April.
Janata Dal-United President Nitish Kumar lags far behind Tejashwi as far as the number of election rallies he has addressed.
Nitish Kumar is 73; Tejashwi is 34.
Tejashwi had addressed more than 250 election rallies during the Bihar assembly election campaign in 2020.
Despite severe back pain for more than 20 days since early May, taking pain killers and wearing a back brace for relief, Tejashwi's aggressive campaign continues for the final two phases of the Lok Sabha election on May 25 and June 1.
He is set to address more than half a dozen election rallies on May 23, the last day of campaigning for the sixth phase, which will see voting in 8 parliamentary constituencies in Bihar.
On May 22, Tejashwi addressed 9 election rallies at different places.
"Tejashwi on an average addresses 6 to 8 election rallies in a day," says a RJD leader.
Without missing a chance to hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, Tejashwi has been reminding voters at every election meeting that his unbearable back pain is nothing in comparison to the pain and struggle of thousands of unemployed youth in Bihar.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has visited Bihar twice to campaign. The Congress's Rahul Gandhi visited Bihar only once last month to campaign. Priyanka Gandhi is yet to visit the state to campaign.
Clearly, the Mahagathbandhan is dependent on Tejashwi for its election campaign.
Nitish Kumar has so far addressed 50 election rallies and held 6 road shows in support of National Democratic Alliance candidates in the fray.
State BJP President Samrat Choudhary has addressed 99 election meetings followed by more than 60 election rallies by state JD-U President Umesh Kushwaha.
Narendra Modi, the BJP's main campaigner, has visited Bihar seven times since April and addressed 13 election rallies. Modi held a road show in Patna on May 12.
Senior BJP leaders Amit A Shah, Rajnath Singh, J P Nadda, Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma have also addressed rallies in Bihar.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com