Bihar's first phase campaign closes after fiery political blitz

The campaign for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections drew to a close on Tuesday evening, concluding a volatile stretch of speeches, accusations, and personal attacks that set the tone for one of the state's fiercest political contests in recent years.

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Polling in this phase will be held across 121 constituencies, marking the start of voting for Bihar's 243-member Assembly.

The build-up began in midOctober, soon after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule on October 6.

With seat-sharing deals settled and candidate lists finalised, political activity surged after Diwali and Chhath, as major leaders crisscrossed the state in high-decibel rallies.

At the forefront of the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) campaign was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who conducted a total of eight rallies, including two on the penultimate day of canvassing. He also held a roadshow in Patna and interacted digitally with booth-level workers and women on the final day. Modi launched his campaign in Samastipur, where he paid tribute at the ancestral home of Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur, an influential figure claimed by both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) and RJD leader Lalu Prasad as their ideological inspiration for backward class politics.

In his speeches, the Prime Minister accused the RJDCongress alliance, the key components of the opposition INDIA bloc, of "protecting infiltrators" and warned voters against "a return of jungle raj". He drew sharp criticism from RJD's Tejashwi Yadav when he remarked that the Congress had agreed to Yadav's chief ministerial candidacy only after the RJD "put a katta (country-made gun) on its head." Tejashwi Yadav, who previously served as deputy chief minister, described the language as unbecoming of a prime minister.