Bihar elections: BJP launches campaign song 'Ee ba' to counter Opposition’s 'Ka ba'

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The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) today launched a Bhojpuri election campaign song ‘Bihar Mein Ee Ba’ (This is in Bihar) to highlight the achievements of Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the poll-bound state.

The two-minute-thirty-five-second song, supported by video clips and pictures, aims at reaching out to the electorate and counter the opposition parties, who were using popular Bhojpuri song "Bihar Me Ka Ba (What's up with Bihar)" by a young artist Neha Singh Rathore to target the NDA regime in Bihar.

Rathore’s song is inspired by the actor Manoj Bajpayee and filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s Bhojpuri rap number on migrant workers, ‘Bambai Main Ka Ba’ (what is in Mumbai) released last month. The popular rap in Mumbai’s context released during Coronavirus-imposed lockdown is a commentary about the lives of the migrant workers forced to travel outside for work.

प्रदेश की जनता दे रही है 'बिहार में ई बा' गाने को भरपूर समर्थन।#बिहार_में_ई_बाpic.twitter.com/P4Nv4mmJyG

— BJP Bihar (@BJP4Bihar) October 13, 2020

Bihar’s main opposition parties-- Congress and the RJD were attacking Nitish Kumar using Rathore’s song.

“Our song is just a reply to the opposition parties and not any individual person," chief of the BJP IT cell Manan Krishnan told news agency IANS.

Campaign song released by Indian National Congress:

पीएम आवास घोटाला! भाजपा-नीतीश के भ्रष्टाचारी गठबंधन ने बिहार को भ्रष्टाचार का अड्डा बना दिया है। पहले पत्नी फिर अपने नाम से उठाया पैसा, सरकारी राशि के बंदरबांट का खेल चलता रहा। pic.twitter.com/qF6eUkvGe1 — INCBihar (@INCBihar) October 13, 2020

Beginning October 28, voting for electing 243-member Bihar Assembly has been staggered over three phases. Counting will be held on November 10.

Leading the NDA charge in the state, Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar along with the BJP is aiming to retain power. The ruling coalition is being challenged by the Grand Alliance of the Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD, the Congress and other smaller parties.

Rathore’s song broadly themed on on the plight of the migrant labourers, has been a hit and uses issues like law and order situation  to target the NDA government . Its counter, released on BJP Bihar twitter handle on Tuesday is an account of development in Bihar  in terms of road infrastructure, industries and job opportunities,  IIT, NIT, AIIMS, etc, to name a few.

Earlier in the day, chief minister Nitish Kumar urged people to vote for NDA to see the state further progressing.

“We believe in work. We delivered in last 15 years. Judge us by our work and give us another chance to take Bihar to new heights of development,” Kumar said in a virtual rally addressing eleven assembly constituencies on Tuesday.​