Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav has formally launched his election campaign on Tuesday with a difference by choosing to travel by road on his 'Garib Chetna Rath' to directly reach out to villagers.

Unlike in the past, Lalu, who is also the railway minister, has sidestepped from his trips on a helicopter.

Along with other party leaders and workers, Lalu kicked off his campaign at Bihta, near Patna on Tuesday morning, where he announced that he would use road transport to establish contact with the people. "I will go by road to the villages, where my real voters live," he said.

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RJD spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari said Lalu has decided this after realising that using a helicopter had alienated him from the voters, particularly the poor. "Lalu will now turn his campaign into a road show," said Tiwari.

Tiwari added that Lalu, the star campaigner of the RJD, will be on the road for the next three days, during which he will cover nearly six districts.

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