Patna: BJP national president Amit Shah's proposed visit to Bihar has been postponed for the third time.

He was likely to visit Bihar in the first week of November but now he is likely to come sometime in December.

"The party president has decided to postpone his Bihar visit because of his preoccupation with the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat," a senior BJP leader told The Telegraph.

Himachal will vote on November 9, and Gujarat in two phases on December 9 and 14. Counting of votes in both the states will take place on December 18.

Earlier, Shah was expected to visit Bihar in June this year but due to prior engagements the schedule was changed and BJP leaders had maintained that he would come to Bihar in July. He didn't. Finally, it was shared that Shah would come to Bihar in November, as there were major festivals including Chhath in October.

Shah had come to Bihar in January this year for a daylong visit during which he had released books on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. He also had a meeting with senior BJP leaders from Bihar in September this year, which was his first formal meeting with senior leaders from the state after formation of the NDA government in Bihar.

"Nothing much should be read in these postponements as ours is a national party and the president has to work according to exigencies of the time," said a senior BJP functionary. "There is nothing major scheduled in Bihar. Hence, the postponement of the visit by a month or so would not have any bearing as such."

Another BJP functionary said the extra time which the Bihar unit has got would be used to strengthen the party's organisational set-up at the ground level, which has been the main emphasis of the party's central leadership.