Bihar Election 2025 Highlights: Waqf Act will be ‘thrown into dustbin’, if INDIA bloc voted to power, says Tejashwi Yadav

There has been a substantial decline in the number of heinous crimes during NDA rule in Bihar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says.

We have worked to free Bihar from Naxalism. If the Mahagathbandhan comes to power, 'jungle raj' will also come with it. If the NDA government is formed, a developed Bihar will be recognised throughout India. Use your vote wisely, says Union Minister Amit Shah at the Khagaria rally.

Tejashwi Yadav claimed the BJP was "scared" by the nomination of a leader belonging to the Extremely Backwards Classes (EBC) as the opposition coalition's deputy CM face for the Bihar polls. The INDIA bloc has named Vikashsheel Insaan Party (VIP) founder Mukesh Sahani, an EBC leader, as its deputy CM candidate.

"The hatred of the BJP towards the EBC community has come out in the open. They are repeatedly questioning the nomination of Mukesh Sahani as our deputy CM candidate. Why is Amit Shah so frustrated by the nomination of an EBC leader as Bihar's deputy CM candidate," asked Yadav, a leader of the RJD.

Speaking to reporters in Patna, he claimed that BJP leaders, including Shah, who dub religious minorities as "infiltrators", are now raising concerns about why the INDIA bloc did not name a Muslim leader as its deputy CM face.

"The BJP, which has been repeatedly abusing religious minorities and threatening to send them to Pakistan, is now worried about their representation. We will soon address their concerns," he said.

-PTI

Elections will decide if 'Jungle Raj' will prevail in Bihar or developement, says Amit Shah at the rally.

The upcoming elections will decide if 'Jungle Raj' will prevail in Bihar, or development, says Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a public rally in Khagaria, Bihar. Our government has made Bihar free of Naxalites, he adds.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that trains to Bihar are "packed" and tickets impossible to get with the journey becoming "inhuman" during the festive season, as he asserted that "helpless travellers" are a living proof of the "NDA's deceptive policies and intentions".

The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said safe and respectable travel is a right, not a favour.

"It's a month of festivals - Diwali, Bhai Dooj, and Chhath. In Bihar, these festivals mean more than just faith, but also a yearning to return home -the fragrance of the soil, the affection of family, the warmth of the village," Gandhi said in a post on X.

The "failed double-engine" government's claims are hollow, he said.

"Where are the 12,000 special trains? Why does the situation worsen every year? Why are the people of Bihar forced to return home in such deplorable conditions every year?" Gandhi said.

If employment and a dignified life were available in the state, they wouldn't have to wander thousands of kilometers, he said.

The Congress leader also shared a video montage of packed stations and trains on one hand while Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off trains on the other hand, in a split screen.

RJD leader and CM face of Mahagathbandhan, Tejashwi Yadav, says, "BJP cannot create jobs or do justice to Bihar. They set up factories in Gujarat, run bullet trains there, and come to Bihar only for votes. NDA has been in power in Bihar for 20 years - yet not a single mill has opened here. People still migrate, sent on trains to work in Gujarat. Amit Shah says there’s no land for factories in Bihar. BJP talks only during elections and ignores real issues. We focus on development." On the issue of the Deputy CM post, Tejashwi says, "When a son of an extremely backward community is named Deputy CM, the BJP is upset. After Mukesh Sahani, other Deputy CMs will be announced. We will address grievances - just give us time."

Pratima Kushwaha, former chief of RJD women wing, joins BJP ahead of Bihar polls.

Independent MP Pappu Yadav, reacting to PM Modi’s speech during public meetings in Bihar, says, "Rajiv Gandhi brought computers, software, and electricity projects to India. Reels and digital content are being made by our youth, with money coming from abroad - India has no role in this. All credit goes to Congress leaders like Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh."

He adds, "In India, the first Dalit CM was Bhola Paswan Shastri, and Congress promoted leaders from minorities too. In every situation, there will be representation for Dalits and minorities as Deputy CMs or other key posts."

The Amrit Bharat Express that leaves Delhi’s Anand Vihar station in the afternoon and arrives in Motihari in Bihar the next morning is packed to the brim. Every year, as Chhath Puja nears, trains headed east overflow with migrants returning home.

Read Deeptiman Tiwary's account of being aboard a train full of migrants going home for Chhath Puja.

RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav posted on X: "The uncrowned king of lies and the leader of empty promises had boasted that out of the country's total 13,198 trains, 12,000 trains would be operated for Bihar on the occasion of Chhath festival. This too turned out to be a blatant lie. In the 20 years of NDA government, the people of Bihar, suffering the pain of migration, cannot even get trains to run properly for the great festival of faith, Chhath. My fellow Biharis are forced to travel in trains in an inhumane manner. How shameful is this? Due to the wrong policies of the double-engine government, more than 4 crore people from Bihar migrate to other states for work every year. Since the UPA government, the NDA government has not established any major industry in Bihar. These people are anti-Bihar."

Police in poll-bound Bihar cautioned people against posting songs with provocative caste overtones on social media and said strict action would be taken against those trying to disrupt peace and violate the ‘model code of conduct’ in the state, DGP Vinay Kumar said.

-PTI

Today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address three back-to-back rallies at Khagaria, Munger and Bihar Sharif.