By Suman Rodrigues: With state election approaching, Bihar witnessed heightened political activity on Monday as the Congress-led INDIA bloc and the ruling NDA sharpened their campaigns, setting the stage for an intense contest.
The day began with the culmination of Congress’ 14-day, 1,300-km-long ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The march, starting from Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, brought together INDIA bloc leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya. The leaders offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi before proceeding through the city and concluding at the statue of B. R. Ambedkar near Patna High Court.
The yatra, which passed through 110 assembly constituencies across 25 districts, highlighted alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls. Rahul Gandhi framed the campaign around the right to vote, seeking to project the Congress as a defender of democracy. The party, which won only 19 seats in the 2020 Assembly polls, hopes the mobilisation will strengthen its bargaining power in seat-sharing negotiations with allies.
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In parallel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the ‘Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited’, a new cooperative aimed at providing affordable credit to women’s self-help groups. Transferring ₹105 crore into the institution’s account, Modi said the initiative would reduce dependence on high-interest loans and support rural entrepreneurship. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and NDA leaders joined the event online.
The political temperature rose further after a controversy over an alleged abusive remark directed at Modi’s late mother from a dais linked to the Congress-RJD rally. Speaking at the cooperative’s launch, the Prime Minister called the remarks “painful” and said insulting his mother was an insult to all women of Bihar. BJP leaders accused the Congress of lowering political discourse, while Congress and RJD distanced themselves from the incident.
The day’s developments underline a charged atmosphere: the Opposition bloc rallying around voter rights and alliance unity, and the ruling NDA foregrounding welfare measures and women’s empowerment. With both sides trading barbs and consolidating narratives, Bihar’s election battle is poised to be fought not only on development promises but also on symbolism and sentiment.
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