Patna, Oct 16 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address 12 rallies during campaigning for the Bihar Assembly elections, with the first rally being held in Sasaram on October 23. Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced this at a press conference in Patna on Friday.

"These will be NDA (National Democratic Alliance) rallies, hence, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other leaders of the alliance will also join him," said Fadnavis.

He said Modi's first rally will be held in Sasaram on October 23. On the same day, he will also address rallies in Gaya and Bhagalpur. After this, the Prime Minister will once again come to Bihar on October 28 to hold rallies in Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Patna.

Thereafter, the Prime Minister will address rallies in Chhapra, East Champaran and Samastipur on November 1 and in West Champaran, Saharsa and Farbisganj in Araria on November 3.

Voting in the three-phase election for Bihar's 243-member Assembly will be held on October 28, November 3 and November 7, while the counting of votes will take place on November 10.

In the first phase, voting will be held for 71 Assembly seats on November 28, while in the second phase there will be voting for 94 seats on November 3, and for 78 seats on November 7 in the last phase.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal is in the electoral fray along with the Congress and the Left parties, to challenge the ruling JD-U and the BJP.