By PC Bureau
October 29, 2025: With the Bihar Assembly elections just days away—polling scheduled in two phases on November 6 and 11, and results on November 14—the campaign has reached fever pitch. Both the Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc) and the NDA are in full throttle, holding back-to-back rallies and sharpening their campaign messages.
Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav Lead Opposition Charge
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi formally launched his campaign in Bihar today with joint rallies alongside RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga. The joint appearance marks a crucial show of unity amid recent seat-sharing frictions within the INDIA bloc.
At a massive rally in Sakra, Muzaffarpur, Gandhi unveiled his ‘Made in Bihar’ pitch, calling for local manufacturing and job creation. Holding up a Chinese-made smartphone, he said, mobile phones: Rahul Gandhi in Muzaffarpur Addressing a joint rally in Muzaffarpur, Rahul Gandhi said, “Tell me what is written on the back of your phone. Made in China. Narendra Modi ji has destroyed all the small businesses by implementing demonetisation and GST. Wherever you look, it is Made in China. We say that it should not be Made in China, it should be Made in Bihar. Mobiles, shirts, pants, all these should be made in Bihar and the youth of Bihar should get employment in those factories. We want such a Bihar.”
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He blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies like demonetization and GST for crippling small industries and employment opportunities.
In a fiery speech, Gandhi accused the NDA of failing Bihar despite ruling for two decades. “Nitish Kumar has been CM for 20 years. What has he done for education, health, or employment? We want a Bihar where youth find jobs, not excuses,” he said. He also took a swipe at Modi’s campaign theatrics, quipping, “He can even dance on stage for votes.”
बिहार में 20 साल से नीतीश कुमार सरकार चला रहे हैं।
वे खुद को अतिपिछड़ा कहते हैं, लेकिन उन्होंने 20 साल में यहां शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्य और रोजगार के लिए कुछ नहीं किया।
क्या आप ऐसा प्रदेश चाहते हैं-
जहां अडानी को 1-2 रुपए में जमीन दे दी जाए और युवाओं को रोजगार न मिले।
ऐसा बिहार… pic.twitter.com/oap2HSkqjB
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 29, 2025
Gandhi said, “Nitish ji’s face is being used. The remote control is in the BJP’s hands. You should not think that the voice of the most backward people is heard there. Three or four people control it. BJP controls it — they have the remote in their hands, and they have nothing to do with social justice.”
Reiterating his call for a nationwide caste census, Gandhi said the BJP government has consistently ignored demands for social justice. “I told the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha — conduct a caste census. He did not utter a single word. The BJP is against social justice and does not want it,” he said.
Highlighting the issue of migration and unemployment, Gandhi told the crowd, “Your efforts built cities across India and abroad. Why can’t you do the same here in Bihar?”
Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate, echoed the sentiment and promised sweeping reforms if elected. “As soon as our government is formed, within 20 days, a law will be passed to provide one government job to every family that doesn’t have one,” he announced.
Yadav said his vision was to end migration, corruption, and crime in Bihar and make the state “number one in India.” He added, “Even after 20 years of Nitish Kumar’s rule and 11 years of Narendra Modi’s rule, Bihar remains the poorest state with the highest unemployment, inflation, and migration.”
“This is your time for change. Nitish Kumar has ruled too long without delivering results. Vote for the Mahagathbandhan if you want employment, justice, and dignity,” Rahul said.
The duo’s second joint rally in Darbhanga drew massive crowds and was widely broadcast on digital platforms, with hashtags #BiharElection2025 and #MadeInBihar trending across X (formerly Twitter).
NDA Counters with Development Push
The ruling NDA mounted an equally aggressive campaign. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and UP CM Yogi Adityanath addressed rallies across Darbhanga, Samastipur, Begusarai, Saran, Siwan, Patna, and Bhojpur, reiterating the NDA’s development and law-and-order narrative.
Amit Shah’s speeches in Alinagar, Rosera, and Bhagwanpur targeted the opposition’s “empty slogans,” while BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal confirmed that Prime Minister Modi will campaign in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra on October 30, when the NDA will also unveil its manifesto.
Political Undercurrents and Voter Dynamics
The 2025 elections will decide the fate of 243 Assembly seats, with 7.9 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots. The INDIA bloc, having declared Tejashwi as its CM face on October 23, hopes to reclaim power from Nitish Kumar’s NDA, which won 125 seats in 2020 compared to the Mahagathbandhan’s 110.
Social media engagement around today’s rallies surpassed 10,000 interactions, with analysts suggesting that Rahul and Tejashwi’s joint campaign could energize young and backward-class voters. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj movement remains an unpredictable third force amid controversy over voter list revisions.
With both alliances intensifying ground campaigns and digital outreach, Bihar stands on the brink of one of its most fiercely contested elections in years.
