Cong. To Start Bihar Poll Campaign After Chhath Puja

The Congress national general secretary (organisation) said other senior leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and national president Mallikarjun Kharge, will also campaign in the state, where the Voter Adhikar Yatra held in August gave the party renewed momentum.

“Our campaign will kick off soon after Chhath Puja. I think Rahul Gandhi will be here on October 29 and 30. Tours of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge are also on the cards,” Venugopal said.

Venugopal, a close aide of Gandhi, is among several senior Congress leaders camping in the poll-bound state to fine-tune the party’s strategy and address internal dissent following allegations from some workers that tickets were being sold.

When asked about the issue, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told reporters, “In every election, there are many who aspire for tickets and get upset when they are denied. But I appeal to all of them not to air their grievances until the elections are over.”

Gehlot added that the Bihar elections were of national significance.

“These are not ordinary elections. The entire nation is watching, hoping that the arrogant BJP-led NDA will be defeated. I urge Congress workers to realise that they are on the cusp of scripting history,” he said.

He noted that naming RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s chief ministerial candidate had sent a positive signal.

“A young politician always has the passion to work hard, knowing that if he fails to meet people’s expectations, he risks his career,” Gehlot remarked.

Training his guns on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Gehlot alleged that the JD(U) president had “sullied his reputation with too many political about-turns.”

“At the fag end of his political career, he should reflect on how far he has fallen. Once, he was seen as fit to be Prime Minister. Now, the people of Bihar are tired of him and want change,” he said.

Gehlot also accused the BJP of “looting the people” through the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme, which the Supreme Court had declared unconstitutional.

“The money they collected through those bonds remains with them. They use it during elections to bribe voters. Opposition leaders get ED and CBI notices for transactions worth a crore or two, while the BJP spends millions with impunity,” he alleged.

He further criticised the Bihar government’s recently launched welfare scheme, under which ₹10,000 was transferred into the accounts of one crore women just days before the elections were announced.

“It was nothing but an attempt to buy votes. But the people have seen through the game,” Gehlot asserted.