Dineshanand Goswami (above) campaigns with BJP workers in Jugsalai, Jamshedpur, on Tuesday and Navjot Singh Sidhu during Sunday’s roadshow near Pardih. (Bhola Prasad)

Jamshedpur, June 28: Navjot Singh Sidhu’s swagger, combined with yesterday's mammoth motor rally of the BJP, has pumped in fresh energy among the party’s rank and file involved in the last leg of campaigning for the Jamshedpur by-election.

The roadshow, which had around 3,000 motorbikes — arguably one of the biggest rallies ever witnessed in the steel city in the run up to any election — roped in the former Indian cricketer as the BJP’s star campaigner.

BJP state spokesperson Amarpreet Singh Kale was confidence personified while speaking to The Telegraph about party candidate Dineshanand Goswami’s prospects. “Even our worst adversaries, who had doubts about whether the BJP would retain the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat, must be sulking after witnessing yesterday’s rally. Not only the roadshow, but the two meetings at Govindpur and Bagbera were among the most populated rallies ahead of the by-election,” said Kale.

Party insiders claimed that the rally had also silenced speculators who suspected a reversal of fortunes in the Baharagora segment due to internal wrangling after senior leader and former legislator Dinesh Sarangi distanced himself from the BJP’s campaign.

Dhanbad MP and former state cabinet minister Pashupati Nath Singh was also brimming with confidence, when he addressed reporters this evening. He said the BJP’s poll analyst had predicted a lead for Goswami in all the six Assembly constituencies going to poll on July 1. “Based on our party assessment, we are leading in all the Assembly constituencies. We will be facing competitions from the JMM in Ghatshila and Baharagora constituencies, Congress in Jamshedpur West, Ajsu in Jugsalai, the JVM in Jamshedpur East and a stiff fight from both JMM and Ajsu in Potka,” Singh added.

On whether the diatribe of JMM and Ajsu leaders against the BJP during campaigning would affect the government’s health, the seasoned politician replied in the negative. “We did not have a pre-poll alliance with either the JMM or Ajsu. We decided to join hands to keep the democratic tradition alive as otherwise the Congress-backed UPA government would have got another chance to impose governor’s rule. The leaders of Ajsu and JMM are also aware of it and would not commit any folly.”

Meanwhile, riding on the renewed zeal, Kale undertook a massive contact programme at the densely populated Refugee Colony and East Bengal Colony under Sitaramdera police station this evening.

“The response was spontaneous and everyone had only candidate in their mind — Dineshanand Goswami,” Kale added.

Meanwhile, former BJP leader Sanjay Seth, who had joined the JVM, and industrialist Bikash Mukherjee campaigned for Ajoy Kumar. The duo told reporters that the JVM candidate had proven his calibre as East Singhbhum SP and could represent the masses. Senior Trinamul Congress MPs Mukul Roy and Sultan Ahmed also campaigned for party candidate Suman Mahto, whereas around 50 doctors under All Jharkhand Medical Association met this evening and lent their support to Ajsu candidate Aastik Mahto.