Bihar Election 2025 Highlights: Campaigning enters last leg, Priyanka reacts to PM Modi's 'katta' remark

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of leading a "Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra" and vowed that the BJP wil remove all "intruders" within five years. (ANI)

Speaking at a public rally in Madhubani, Akhilesh said, "In Uttar Pradesh, we gave laptops to young people for employment, jobs, and education. We'll tell Tejashwi Yadav ji that daughters should ride bicycles, help them study, and when they get good marks, give laptops to the young people, our brothers and sisters. These BJP members can't even operate laptops. When Tejashwi Yadav becomes the new Chief Minister, he will do so with a new way of thinking." (ANI)

At an election rally in Bettiah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the crowd, expressing his gratitude for the "record-breaking" turnout.

He said, "In the first phase of elections, you have broken all records. You have broken all records since independence..."

PM Modi praised the high voter turnout in the first phase of polling, saying it had delivered a "65-volt shock" to those who represented "jungle raj." (ANI)

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday claimed that her party was now fighting the same battle against the "Modi empire" that Mahatma Gandhi once fought against the British imperialists.

Addressing back-to-back rallies in Bihar's Katihar and Bhagalpur districts, Vadra claimed that PM Narendra Modi was not maintaining the dignity of his post by using words such as 'katta' (country-made pistol).

If Rahul is really concerned about SCs, STs, minorities, he should have made someone from these communities LoP in LS: Rajnath in Bhabua.

"The first phase of the elections has been held. He knows the condition of the Mahagathbandhan very well and has already started creating an atmosphere about the situation that will arise in Bihar, because the common people of Bihar have faith in Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. People have faith in our NDA alliance, and a 100% overwhelming NDA government will be formed, and Rahul Gandhi knows this very well..." Sharma said to reporters at Patna airport.

While addressing a public rally in Katihar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, “During the governments of Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and Lalu Yadav, terrorists used to freely enter and leave Kashmir after carrying out attacks. Even during Modi ji’s tenure, when they attacked Uri, we carried out a surgical strike; when they attacked Pulwama, we responded with an air strike; and when they killed our pilgrims in Pahalgam, we conducted Operation Sindoor and eliminated terrorists by entering Pakistan."

He added, "Modi ji has ensured that a defence corridor will be established in Bihar, and I assure you, if terrorists dare to act in the future, their ‘bullets’ will be answered with ‘bombs’,” PTI reported.

Mahagathbandhan CM face Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said, “We are winning the election and forming the government."

While addressing Bettiah rally on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Rule of 'katta', 'rangdaar' destroyed everything; we have to protect Bihar from ‘jungle raj', " PTI reported.

Congress leader Pawan Khera reacted to PM Modi's 'katta' remark and said, “Nitish Kumar should also put a ‘katta’ over the head of the NDA so that they declare him the CM face,” PTI reported.

In the final leg of Bihar election campaign, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor is holding a roadshow in Madhubani's Jhanjharpur.

According to BJP leader Tarun Chugh, Bihar's 'katta' government ended in 2014. On Saturday, he said, "This time Bihar's public will vote for development and reject them (Mahagathbandhan)," PTI reported.

PM Modi made heartfelt appeal during the Sitamarhi rally and said, “I appeal to all the youths that be where you are as there is no more space in the pandal, but I must tell you, there might not be place in the pandal, but you people have a place in Modi's heart,” PTI reported.

PM Modi on Saturday said, “These people want to make their children CM, ministers, MPs, MLAs - and for your children, they want to make ‘rangdaar’. Bihar will never accept such a thing. ‘Jungle raj’ means katta, cruelty, corruption and enmity.”

Bihar Election 2025 LIVE: PM Modi addressed Sitamarhi rally today where he said that people of Bihar do not want 'katta sarkar', they are giving sleepless nights to opposition leaders.

Affirming confidence in BJP-led NDA's win, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday said, “People have faith and the victory here is the victory of faith. The grand alliance is drowned in despair. Be it Tejashwi Yadav, Rahul Gandhi, or Akhilesh Yadav, all three will go on foreign trips after the 14th... Vote theft is not even an issue; such childish antics can only be done by Rahul Gandhi.”

He added, "If any fake vote was cast, what was your agent doing?... You should have investigated... They just make allegations; they don't want Prime Minister Modi to remain in the Prime Minister's position... No effort of Rahul Gandhi will succeed... These people have understood that they are going to lose the election, so they are already writing scripts in advance about what to say if the results go against them," ANI reported.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar in an interview with ANI said that this year's election saw an 8.8% increase in voter turnout compared to the 2024 Lok Sabha General Elections. At the same time, a 7.79 per cent increase in voter turnout was recorded compared to the 2020 Bihar Assembly General Elections.

Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that voters names were deleted from first phase polling list of the Bihar assembly polls.

Accusing the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of contributing to manipulation of votes, he said, "We received complaints from our workers that the names of people who have been casting votes for generations, their names were deleted from the voter list. The entire nation saw that SIR was a flop show in Bihar...With the collusion of the Election Commission of India and the BJP, we were not able to form the government in Haryana, and they stole votes," ANI reported.

Ahead of final phase of polling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gearing up to address public meetings in Sitamarhi and Bettiah on Saturday as part of the BJP-led NDA’s final campaign push

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “My family members, who have taken the resolve of 'Developed Bihar', are going to ensure a massive majority for the NDA even in the second and final phase of the Bihar Assembly elections.”

He added, “Amidst this immense support, tomorrow morning around 11 a.m., I will seek the blessings of the people-public in the public meetings in Sitamarhi, and in the afternoon around 1 pm in Bettiah.”

Bihar Election 2025 LIVE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a massive election rally in Bhagalpur on Friday ahead of final phase of polling.

He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership on national security and farmer welfare and asserted that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had been "wiped off" in the first phase of voting.

“Yesterday, half of Bihar voted, and the other half of the state will vote soon. As per yesterday's voting in Bihar, Lalu's party has been wiped off,” ANI quoted Amit Shah as saying.

Expressing confidence in NDA's win: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday said, "In 2010, NDA won 206 seats. This time, in the first phase of voting yesterday, we are confident we will win more than 206 seats. (Bihar Deputy Chief Minister) Samrat Chaudhary said we will win around 110 seats out of 121 in the first phase, and he is right about it," ANI reported.

BJP candidate Shreyasi Singh from Jamui said, "The vote percentage seen, definitely all the voters are coming in favour of NDA... The atmosphere in all four constituencies of the Jamui district is in favour of the NDA. The response to the Union Home Minister's rally was unmatched at any other rally. The entire venue was filled with new energy," ANI reported.

Cases were registered against four who clicked photos of EVMs during Phase 1 voting of Bihar assembly polls. The instances were reported from Ara, Gopalganj and Saran. These voters were booked after they shared the images on social media, PTI reported citing statement from officials.

The Deputy Director of Election Commission of India issued a notice on 7 November refuting allegations of rigged elections. “After scrutiny, no discrepancy/malpractice was found at any of the Polling Station and no re-poll was recommended in Phase-I of the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections,” the notice said.