With the first phase of polling three days away, the campaign in Bihar reached its peak on Monday as political heavyweights from both camps, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among a host of other national leaders, addressed multiple rallies across the state.
The day’s speeches sharpened the ideological divide between the NDA’s development plank and the opposition grand alliance’s welfare pitch.
It is in these final moments that the tone of polls is set. The voters who are often not enthused by yet another polls make up their minds after attending rallies.
RJD’s CM face, Tejashwi Yadav, is trying most to make up for the lost time. The alliance was the last to decide on the seat distribution, and is even set to witness friendly fights in some constituencies.
He was supposed to address 15 rallies in a day. With greater distances to cover in the state, helicopters have become the go-to mode of commute. In a state still struggling with development, it is also a symbol of a leader’s clout.
Prime Minister Modi is the main campaigner from the NDA side, as his sharp speeches and statements become the main highlights of the polls.
Speaking in Saharsa, Modi launched a frontal attack on the RJD, accusing it of blocking development projects after losing power in 2005 to “avenge” its ouster.
He claimed the RJD pressured the Congress-led UPA government to stall infrastructure projects sanctioned under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration, including the Kosi Mahasetu bridge. PM Modi urged voters to “punish” the RJD for its “sins”.
To drive home a point, he used the imagery associated with lawlessness. In his attack on the Congress, Modi said it was “forced” to accept Tejashwi Yadav as the grand alliance’s chief ministerial face under RJD pressure, likening the situation to a “katta (country-made pistol) held to its head”.
He also accused the RJD-Congress combine of being soft on infiltrators and indifferent to cultural symbols such as the Ram temple and the Chhath festival.
Modi also sought to appeal to women voters, highlighting female achievers and welfare schemes, while citing makhana farmers as an example of Bihar’s contribution to India’s economy.
In Sheohar, Amit Shah focused on the NDA’s economic vision, promising large-scale industrialisation, a defence corridor, and factories in every district. He said a commission would be set up to make Bihar flood-free, outlining new projects like rail links and airport upgrades to the Sita temple in Sitamarhi. Shah contrasted these proposals with what he called the scam-ridden tenure of previous RJD-Congress governments.
Yogi Adityanath, addressing rallies in Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur, added to the NDA’s combative tone by branding Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and Akhilesh Yadav as the “three monkeys of the INDIA alliance”—unable to “see, hear, or speak” of the NDA’s achievements.
He revived the BJP’s law-and-order pitch, accusing the RJD of fostering crime and political patronage during its rule, and pledged to drive out “infiltrators” and redistribute their wealth to the poor if the NDA returned to power.
Here come the challengers
The main campaigner from the grand alliance, Priyanka Gandhi, campaigning in Saharsa, delivered a sharpest rebuttal. She mocked the prime minister’s frequent attacks on opposition leaders, saying he should create an Apmaan Mantralaya (Ministry of Insults) as he focuses more on accusations than on development.
The MP accused the NDA of failing to deliver on employment and development promises, saying Bihar was being “remote-controlled from Delhi.
She alleged that Nitish Kumar’s government had become a proxy for the Centre and that youth migration was a symptom of the NDA’s neglect. “All major PSUs that once created jobs have been handed over to corporate allies of the BJP,” she said.
As Bihar heads into polling, the contours of the contest have become clearer. The NDA is reminding the electorate about the stability, infrastructure, and Modi’s personal appeal, while the grand alliance is betting on discontent over unemployment, rural distress, and welfare issues.
Yet, as in previous elections, the outcome may hinge not just on speeches but also on the quiet arithmetic of caste, local loyalties, and the credibility of leadership.