Patna (Bihar) [India], November 6 : As the first phase of Bihar assembly elections commences on Thursday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav raised serious allegations of voter buying and corruption against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the Ministry of Railways is organizing special trains specifically for bringing in voters from across the country to vote for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
"The Ministry of Railways is arranging special trains to send migrant workers from Bihar to Bihar to vote in favor of BJP, and return tickets are also being provided! This is the same Modi government that was cramming these migrant workers into trains to send them to Bihar during Chhath. At that time, no arrangements were made for the migrant Biharis," he said.
Hitting out at the Centre for the handling of special trains during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020-21, Yadav alleged that the party is showing its "double standards" while only looking for their own benefit.
"Even during the Corona period, Bihar's workers had walked thousands of kilometers to return to Bihar, but at that time, no special train arrangements were made for them! But now, when they somehow have to win the election, these people are showing their double standards for their own benefit!" he alleged.
While the Railway ministry has not commented on the allegation of special trains being organised, multiple migrant voters have come back to the state to cast their vote for the Bihar assembly elections, to be held on November 6 and November 11. Lakhs of migrant workers have moved to Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and multiple other states looking for employment opportunities outside the state.
Notably, the Indian railways has organized special trains for helping people travel during the festive seasons of Chhath Puja and Diwali, with the Indian railways announcing that from October 1 to November 30 more than 12,000 special trains are being operated across the country.
So far, a total of 11,865 trips (916 trains) have been notified, including 9,338 reserved and 2,203 unreserved trips. This marks a significant increase from last year, when 7,724 Puja and Diwali special trains were run, reflecting Indian Railways' continued commitment to ensuring smooth and convenient travel during the festive season, the release said.
Meanwhile today, as Bihar votes for the first phase of assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of Bihar to participate in the festival of democracy with full enthusiasm to exercise their voting rights.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi also extended congratulations to the young voters who are going to cast their vote for the first time, urging them to prioritise voting before all chores, saying, "Pehle matdaan, fir jalpaan."
Voting for the first phase of the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar began today at 7.00 am across 121 constituencies in 18 districts of the state's 243 seats, with approximately 3.75 crore electors casting their ballot.
The first phase will decide the fate of several senior leaders, including RJD's Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Mangal Pandey and JD(U)'s Shravan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Choudhary.