New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday formally appointed former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as its election 'prabhari' (in-charge) for the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.

The death case of Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput, who hailed from Bihar, has snowballed into a major poll issue ahead of the Bihar elections, and Fadnavis has been championing the cause of the late actor, questioning the Mumbai Police's handling of the matter.

The appointment, which comes into play with immediate effect, has been okayed by BJP's national President J.P. Nadda, informed BJP leader Arun Singh.

Fadnavis has been participating in all the virtual meetings on Bihar polls from the very beginning, and also went to the state recently.

His appointment assumes significance given that fact that a driving narrative in this year's Bihar polls has been about the 'son of the soil' allegedly being 'wronged' by the system in Maharashtra.

Fadnavis, a former Maharashtra Chief Minister, recently called Sushant Singh Rajput the son of Bihar and said that the people of India want justice for the late actor and the BJP would ensure that it is delivered.

The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to the polls in three phases -- on October 28, November 3 and 7 -- and the results will be announced on November 10.