Pitched Bihar campaign finishes, Ph-2 tomorrow

Campaigning for the Bihar elections wrapped up on Sunday with a raft of rallies across the eastern state, with leaders from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) trading charges ahead of the second phase of polling on November 11.

- Ruchir Kumar

Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath held rallies for the NDA in Bihar, while Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and the Opposition’s CM face Tejashwi Yadav and Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, for the INDIA bloc.

Shah, who held back-to-back rallies in Sasaram and Arwal towns of Bihar, charged the INDIA bloc with trying to build a “corridor for infiltrators”, unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wanted to “set up an industrial corridor”. Shah also promised a future where “mortar shells that will be manufactured at an ordnance factory in this state”.

“Recently, Rahul [Gandhi] and Lalu’s son [Tejashwi Yadav] took out a ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’. It was not aimed at bringing about any improvement in the lives of the poor living in Bihar, the Dalits and the EBCs. It was aimed at protecting infiltrators,” Shah alleged.

Shah also bristled at Gandhi's charge that votes were being stolen in the country, and asked,

"If he thinks there is 'vote chori', why does he not lodge a formal complaint with the Election Commission?".

Elections will be held in 122 seats in the second phase.

Among the significant seats going to the polls in this phase are Chakai, from where JD(U) minister Sumit Kumar Singh is seeking a re-election; BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh from Jamui, JD(U) minister Leshi Singh from Dhamdaha, and BJP minister Neeraj Kumar Singh from Chhatapur.

The first phase of voting was on November 6. The votes will be counted on November 14.