Jharkhand’s ongoing state elections look all set to hit the national discourse on Monday as the poll campaigns of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi coincide.

Modi will address a rally in Barhi, around 65km north of Hazaribagh, and Rahul in Barkagaon, 35km south of the town, both Assembly seats separated by around 100km and considered the most influential under Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency. Both vote on December 12, the third phase of Jharkhand polls.

Modi, who is likely to reach Barhi around 10am, will leave before Rahul reaches Barkagaon in the afternoon. Both Modi and Rahul have other rallies to address on Monday, the former in Bokaro and the latter in Ranchi’s BIT-Mesra football grounds.

But, voters are more agog about the almost-showdown between Modi and Rahul at Barhi and Barkagaon because of the political legacies of the two seats.

Barhi had been a Congress fort, sending its MLA from here seven times. Veteran leader Manoj Kumar Yadav won on a Congress ticket four times, but this time he has shifted his loyalty to the BJP.

If this is a saffron litmus test for Yadav, it is no less a test for his arch-rival, former BJP MLA Uma Shankar Akela a.k.a. Akela Yadav. Akela, denied a party ticket, was left with no other option but to join the Congress.

Barkagaon was claimed by the BJP thrice till 2005 and it had been considered a safe bastion of the saffron party till the 2009 Assembly polls delivered a shocker. The BJP’s three-time MLA Loknath Mahto lost in 2009 at the hands of Congress candidate Yogendra Sao, who became agriculture minister in the Hemant Soren government but was forced to step down over criminal charges of extortion. In 2014, Sao’s wife Nirmala Devi claimed he was implicated under false cases, and riding on a sympathy wave, defeated then-BJP-ally Ajsu Party’s Roshanlal Choudhary by a narrow margin. Now Sao’s daughter Amba Prasad is contesting on a Congress ticket. But with the BJP-Ajsu alliance falling through over seat-sharing math, this time, Ajsu’s Choudhary and BJP’s Mahto are in the fray too.

The stage at Barkagaon High School grounds from where Rahul Gandhi will address the crowd Vishvendu Jaipuriar

BJP leaders are claiming there could be no contest between a Modi rally and a Rahul one. “Just see for yourself tomorrow (Monday) how many people turn up to listen to our Prime Minister at Barhi and how many go to Barkagaon,” said a BJP party leader.

“Also, anywhere in the country, a visit from Modiji swings the whole mood of the electorate in favour of the BJP, even in places where there is a rival sitting MLA. We have not seen anything like that when Rahul Baba goes (to campaign at any constituency),” he observed sarcastically. “We are supremely confident that Monday’s PM rally will not only help the BJP in Barhi but other Assembly seats of Hazaribagh and neighbouring areas. Ten candidates from as many seats are expected to share the dais with Modiji,” he said.

A senior Congress leader said Rahul’s presence in Hazaribagh district on same day as Modi’s visit would “energise Congress workers to fight with full energy”.

Barkagaon block president of the Congress Ravindra Kumar Gupta said Rahul will address rally at the local high school grounds at 1.15pm. “We are all looking forward to his presence to enthuse our cadres and our voters,” he said.

Modi has so far addressed four rallies for the ongoing Jharkhand polls, in Gumla and Palamau on November 25 and Khunti and Jamshedpur on December 3. On Monday, Modi will address rallies in Barhi and Bokaro, which will vote on December 12 (third phase) and December 16 (fourth phase) respectively. “We have been informed that after these rallies, Modiji will address another three rallies tentatively on December 12, 15 and 17. His rallies have been a huge success in mobilising public opinion. Our rivals are desperately spreading rumours about our poor poll performance and will eat humble pie,” said a senior BJP leader.

The BJP leadership has fielded its top names to campaign in Jharkhand, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and many more.

From the Congress, Rahul is something of a lone warrior. It is not yet known if Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will campaign here.