Bihar votes in the first phase of Assembly polling on Thursday, with 121 constituencies across 18 districts going to the ballot. The high-stakes contest stretches from the Kosi–Mithila belt to Patna.
Bihar votes in the first phase of polling on Thursday, kicking off a two-stage election to choose all 243 MLAs. Phase One covers 121 constituencies across 18 districts; the second phase will be held on 11 November, with counting set for 14 November.
The Phase-One constituencies stretch from the Kosi–Mithila belt through central Bihar and into the Patna urban cluster, making this round crucial for both alliances looking to shape momentum early.
The ruling NDA placed its strongest campaigners front and centre. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the alliance’s Bihar drive on October 24 with large rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai, followed by events in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra on October 30, a Patna roadshow on November 2, and a major rally in Arrah in the final stretch.
He also addressed a gathering in Saharsa. Taken together, the prime minister logged at least six major rallies touching Phase-One constituencies, in addition to the Patna show of strength.
Modi’s speeches carried a consistent message: “Viksit Bihar = Viksit Bharat”, anchored around a one-crore job promise, an appeal to private investment-led industrialisation, and a pointed warning against a “return to jungle raj.”
The contrast between the NDA’s development narrative and the RJD’s past tenure remained the central rhetorical pivot throughout his itinerary.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, meanwhile, led his own district-level push. His speeches focused on law-and-order gains, women’s education and mobility, and pre-2005 memory as a contrast frame. His Madhepura line — “from anarchy to rule of law” — formed the JD(U)’s core pitch. Alongside multiple ground rallies, Nitish also issued a statewide video appeal, underlining his personal stake in turnout and retention.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah focused on Mithila and adjoining districts, holding rallies in Darbhanga, Begusarai, and Samastipur and returning later with flood mitigation and regional development commitments. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president J.P. Nadda covered Tarapur, Saharsa, Fatuha, and other Phase-One hubs, signaling that the alliance regarded early consolidation as critical. The central BJP leadership effectively saturated the Mithila-to-Patna corridor in the campaign’s last week.
Article source: outlookindia.com
