Prime Minister Narendra Modi has signaled the start of the election campaign for the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls, making a prominent show of support for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The upcoming elections are anticipated to be a direct clash between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan, with the NDA aiming to retain power under Nitish Kumar’s leadership.
Speaking at a rally in Samastipur, PM Modi declared his certainty of the NDA’s victory. He reminisced about the significant shift in Bihar in October 2005, when Nitish Kumar took office and brought an end to what he termed ‘Jungle Raj’. Modi contrasted this with the preceding ten years of Congress-RJD governance, alleging that this alliance actively created hurdles for Nitish Kumar and deliberately harassed the people of Bihar, with the RJD allegedly seeking retribution against voters who supported Nitish Kumar.
“The Congress-RJD government put obstacles in Nitish Kumar’s path and left no stone unturned to trouble the people of Bihar. The RJD used to take revenge on the people of Bihar for voting for Nitish Kumar,” PM Modi asserted. He further claimed that the RJD would threaten the Congress, hinting at withdrawing support if any concessions were made to Nitish Kumar or the NDA-BJP.
Reiterating his confidence in the leadership of Nitish Kumar and the Janta Dal (United), PM Modi projected a historic win for the NDA. “This time, under the leadership of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, NDA will break all its previous records of victory. Bihar will give NDA its biggest ever mandate,” he stated emphatically.
The Prime Minister also paid homage to socialist icon Karpoori Thakur, calling him an inspiration for his government. Samastipur, a constituency that has been an RJD stronghold since 2010, was a significant venue for the campaign’s inauguration. The NDA coalition comprises the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), HAM (Secular), and RLM. The Mahagathbandhan includes RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPI, CPM, and VIP. Additionally, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party has declared its intention to contest all 243 seats.