Patna, Aug 30 : Ahead of Bihar elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now focussing on strengthening its presence in Panchayati Raj bodies in the state. Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey said that 89 per cent people of Bihar are living in the rural areas and 76 per cent of them are directly involved in the agriculture sector. "We have to strengthen our units in every village, every Panchayat as maximum population lives here. It will eventually help the party to connect with the people at the ground level," Pandey said. Pandey's statement came a day after the party's national President J.P. Nadda asked every Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member to visit at least two village Panchayats in a day and interact with the voters. Pandey along with several other leaders participated in a virtual state committee meeting in Patna. "BJP aims to strengthen the nation and it is only possible when the development is done at the village level. In order to achieve this, Panchayats need to be strengthen as they play a crucial role," the former state BJP chief said. Senior state BJP leader Rajnish Kumar said that former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi did not implement the Panchayati Raj system in the state. "Lalu Prasad did not allowed Gram Panchayat elections to take place for long time. The Panchayati Raj elections were held again when the NDA came to power in the state," he said. /IANS