Aurangabad (Bihar): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the record voter turnout in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections reflected the people’s trust in the “track record of Narendra and Nitish”. Addressing a rally in Aurangabad, he predicted a clear victory for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led in the state by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
“Yesterday, the voters of Bihar broke all records. Never before in the history of the state has there been such a high poll percentage. Much of the credit goes to mothers and sisters who turned up in large numbers to raise the turnout to nearly 65 per cent. It is evident that they all have trust in the track record of Narendra-Nitish,” the Prime Minister said. Praising the Election Commission for conducting orderly polls across 121 constituencies, Mr Modi said the people had voted for “good governance and continuity”. He dismissed the opposition’s promises as “false assurances” and claimed that even the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) ally, did not believe in the RJD’s manifesto.
“The people do not want a return of the jungle raj during which Naxal insurgents ruled the roost,” he said, recalling past violence during elections. Without naming anyone, he criticised the RJD’s campaign, saying, “The jungle raj wallahs have taught even children to speak of things like katta and dunaali.” Mr Modi credited Mr Nitish Kumar with ending Bihar’s era of lawlessness, adding that he had faced non-cooperation from the Centre during the Congress-led UPA’s tenure. Reiterating his government’s achievements, he said, “I do what I promise. A Ram temple stands in Ayodhya, Article 370 has been abrogated, and those behind the Pahalgam terror attack have been punished.”
Highlighting his government’s welfare initiatives, the Prime Minister mentioned the One Rank, One Pension scheme, stating that ₹1 lakh crore had been transferred to ex-servicemen. He also referred to the “land-for-jobs” case involving RJD leaders, urging voters to reject corruption and divisive politics in the next phase of polling on 11 November.
