NDA to secure largest victory in Bihar in 20 years, claims Shah

Patna: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday set the tone for BJP’s election campaign in Bihar, highlighting development under the double-engine NDA govt, Hindutva initiatives and the “jungle raj” during RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi’s 15-year rule before 2005.

Shah said the electorate should prepare to celebrate a fourth Diwali on Nov 14 “when Lalu-Rahul Gandhi & company will be politically decimated as the NDA is set to win with record seats and the largest majority under CM Nitish Kumar in the last 20 years.”


Addressing intellectuals in Patna, Shah recalled Bihar’s rich history and renowned educational institutions like Nalanda and Taxila. Emphasising “the politics of performance”, he questioned the longevity of family-run parties. He defined post-2005 Bihar in two phases: first under Nitish Kumar till 2014 and the second after PM Modi assumed office, crediting the pair for preparing Bihar to regain its lost glory.

Shah added, “The NDA govt has succeeded in the last 20 years in filling the big ditch created by Lalu-Rabri and now is the time to erect the house of development in the next five years. Nitish is called Sushashan Babu because he got the state rid of violence, corruption and lawlessness. Now is the time for Bihar 3.0 to take off for industrialisation and startups.”

He outlined Bihar 3.0 as a migration-free model with quality education, industrialisation, AI-supported systems, investments, and jobs within the state. “Bihar will be the growth engine of eastern India in the next five years if the NDA govt is re-elected,” he added.

Targeting opposition promises, Shah criticised RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s pledge to provide a government job to every household if elected. “One will need Rs12 lakh crore, a three-times increase on the state budget of Rs3.17 lakh crore, to provide jobs to 2.60 crore families. And then what about other development works and projects?” he asked.

Shah also recalled the lawlessness during Lalu-Rabri Devi’s rule, saying that elections used to be held in five to six phases due to security concerns. Highlighting the NDA govt’s achievements, he said, “Travel across Bihar no longer takes five hours from one corner to another. This development has been achieved jointly by PM Modi and CM Nitish. Before our government came to power, migration, ransom, murders, and kidnappings were common. But now, the NDA govt has built numerous engineering colleges, medical colleges, and roads in the region.”

During an election rally in Saran district, Shah took a sharp jab at RJD for nominating Osama Shahab, son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, from the Raghunathpur assembly constituency in Siwan. “I reviewed the RJD’s candidate list for the upcoming elections and noticed Shahabuddin’s son’s name. How can Bihar remain secure if RJD endorses such candidates? It’s crucial for the people to be cautious of parties like RJD,” Shah said.

He praised Nitish for liberating Bihar from the ‘jungle raj’ over the past two decades. “If there’s a need to pledge against Lalu’s ‘jungle raj’ or recall how Lalu-Rabri restrained Bihar’s youth two decades ago, Saran is the ideal place for that,” he said.

Saran, once a stronghold of Lalu Prasad, has seen a shift in political dominance. After Prasad’s 2013 conviction in the fodder scam barred him from elections, BJP candidates, including Rajiv Pratap Rudy, defeated RJD contenders, including Prasad’s wife Rabri Devi and daughter Rohini Acharya, maintaining the BJP’s hold on the region.