Patna (Bihar) [India], October 7 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday took a dig at National Democratic Alliance (NDA), consisting of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) among others, claiming that they will suffer defeat in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
"Chhah or gyarah, NDA nau do gyarah," Lalu Yadav said in a post on X after the Election Commission of India announced that the polls in Bihar will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11.
https://x.com/laluprasadrjd/status/1975374291677102191
The ECI announced the dates on Monday for all 243 Assembly seats, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14.
Following the Election Commission's announcement of election dates, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda also extended their greetings to the people of the state, expressing confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would once again receive a decisive mandate under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shah congratulated the people of Bihar on what he described as the "grand festival of democracy." He said that under the leadership of PM Modi, the NDA government has freed Bihar from "Jungle Raj" and placed it firmly on the path of development and good governance.
In a post on X, the Union Minister said, "The Election Commission has announced the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. Congratulations to all the people of Bihar for this grand festival of democracy."
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda also welcomed the announcement of the Bihar elections, calling the elections the "greatest festival of democracy."
"I welcome the announcement of the Bihar Legislative Election by the Election Commission of India today. Elections are the greatest festival of democracy. They are the primary means to keep the country and state on the path of development and good governance, Nadda said in a post on X
Meanwhile, opposition parties are questioning the credibility of the Election Commission (EC) and asserting that the people of Bihar are yearning for change after two decades of governance under the NDA.
Congress leader Rashid Alvi stated that he has "no confidence" in the poll body's ability to conduct free and fair elections.
"EC cannot be trusted...I am confident that EC won't conduct fair elections in Bihar. If fair elections are held in Bihar, the BJP-Nitish Kumar government will never come to power," Alvi explained.
From the Shiv Sena (UBT), MP Priyanka Chaturvedi appealed to voters to use this election to usher in a new era of governance.
"I hope that Bihar will bring in the politics of change, government of change. People of Bihar have been deceived for years. Bihar has been only towards misery. Voting will be held for a positive change in Bihar. I urge everyone in Bihar to vote for a new government," she said.
In the 2020 assembly elections, the RJD emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats, while the BJP was a close second with 74 seats. Both parties have a strong and committed voter base. With the entry of a new player in Jan Suraaj , this election promises to be a close contest, with the smaller parties expected to play a crucial role in the formation of the next government.