Bihar Minister and BJP candidate Nitin Nabin, from Bankipur, referred to Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial face, Tejashwi Yadav, as a “follower” of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and predicted that the RJD leader would face the “same fate” as the Congress MP, pointing to Rahul Gandhi’s repeated defeats in Lok Sabha elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking with ANI, Nitin Nabin said, “Tejashwi Yadav is a challenge for himself, and I think he is a good follower of Rahul Gandhi. Just like Rahul Gandhi’s statements are far from the truth, Tejashwi Yadav is doing the same. Rahul Gandhi has always been ‘waiting for posting’, and Tejashwi Yadav will meet the same fate.
Nitin Nabin further exuded confidence that the NDA will secure a comfortable majority in the election.
“Maintain the pace of development in Bihar. Bring the NDA government back to power. Under the capable leadership of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, the development of Bihar is safe, women are safe, jobs for the youth of Bihar are safe, and businessmen are safe too… We will get the blessings of people, and we are confident that we will get the results of the 2010 elections,” he said.Nabin has represented the Bankipur seat since 2010.
He is up against Rekha Kumari, a recent entrant to the RJD after quitting the Congress, marking her debut contest under Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party banner. The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), led by political strategist Prashant Kishor, has fielded Vandana Kumari, a first-time candidate who has been running an active ground campaign centred around development and clean governance.
Meanwhile, a voter turnout of 13.13 per cent was recorded till 9 am in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, according to the Election Commission of India.
Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with his wife Rabri Devi, and Mahagathbandhan Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, cast their votes in Patna.
Voting for the first phase of the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar began today at 7.00 am across 121 constituencies in 18 districts of the state’s 243 seats, with approximately 3.75 crore electors casting their ballot.
Polling will conclude at 6 pm, and due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5 pm in some constituencies.
The first phase will decide the fate of several senior leaders, including RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Mangal Pandey and JD(U)’s Shravan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Choudhary. Tej Pratap Yadav is also in the fray in the first phase.
The 2020 polling took place in three phases. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 125 seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) won 110. Among the major parties, the Janata Dal (United) bagged 43 seats, the BJP bagged 74, the RJD secured 75 seats and the Congress 19. The JD(U) had contested 115 constituencies and the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70.
(With ANI Inputs)
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
