BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya has criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for prioritising a “secret vacation” over preparations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. In a post on X (formerly Twitter),
Malviya accused Gandhi of choosing a foreign trip at a crucial political moment, even as the opposition struggles to finalise its alliance and seat-sharing arrangements.
Malviya’s attack on Rahul Gandhi
In his post, Malviya wrote, “Rahul Gandhi, who spent nearly fifteen days in South America and participated in only a few events on public platforms, has now returned to India. Just imagine what his priorities must be like. With only three weeks left until the crucial Bihar elections, he still prioritised a secret vacation over finalising the alliance and seat-sharing arrangements.”
Malviya added that the Mahagathbandhan remains in disarray, as the Congress has not yet declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate. He further alleged that ongoing corruption cases against RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family have weakened the opposition’s position, suggesting that Tej Pratap Yadav could unexpectedly emerge as an “X factor” in the upcoming elections.
NDA gears up for candidate announcement
Meanwhile, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is preparing to announce its list of candidates on Monday evening. Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal confirmed that the NDA would contest the elections “unitedly” and dismissed reports of any internal rift.
“The NDA has already announced its seat-sharing arrangements. Now, candidates of all NDA constituents, including the BJP, will be announced in the evening,” Jaiswal said.
The NDA had earlier unveiled its seat-sharing formula, with the BJP and JD(U) taking the lion’s share, while smaller allies received fewer seats.
Opposition scrambles to finalise seat sharing
The opposition Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, Congress, and Left parties, is expected to announce its seat-sharing plan later this week. According to reports, senior leaders including Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav are in Delhi for final talks with Congress representatives.
Sources indicate that the Congress may contest fewer seats than in the 2020 elections, when it won only 19 out of 70. The alliance is also likely to release a joint manifesto within the week.
In a separate development, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking an SIT probe into Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of large-scale electoral roll manipulation. Gandhi had claimed that voter lists in several Bengaluru constituencies were tampered with, a charge the BJP has dismissed as politically motivated.
The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases, on 6 and 11 November, with counting on 14 November, involving over 7.4 crore voters.
