NEW DELHI: As Bihar moves from its inner political core to its outer border belt for Phase 2 polling, the Bharatiya Janata Party has chosen its primary talking point — “infiltration”.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing rallies in Araria and Bhagalpur on Thursday, turned the spotlight on alleged illegal migrants, accusing the opposition of shielding “infiltrators” for vote bank gains.The second phase of voting covers the Seemanchal region districts bordering West Bengal and Nepal. The Prime Minister’s remarks appear to have set the tone for the BJP’s next stage of campaigning, where national security and demographic change are expected to dominate the discourse.
PM Modi’s message – infiltration a ‘national challenge’
In Araria, the Prime Minister made one of his sharpest attacks of the campaign, saying infiltration had become a major obstacle to governance. “A very major challenge stands before these efforts of ours. That challenge is of the infiltrators. The NDA government is engaged with complete honesty in identifying each and every infiltrator and deporting them from the country. But these RJD and Congress people are busy protecting the infiltrators. They spread all sorts of lies to save these infiltrators and take out political tours to mislead the people,” PM Modi said.He continued the theme in Purnea, linking infiltration to law and order. “Such is vote bank politics that Congress, RJD and their entire ecosystem are busy defending and shielding the foreign infiltrators. They have become so shameless that they are raising slogans and taking out yatras in support of infiltrators from foreign countries,” the Prime Minister said.“Listen carefully to what I’m saying. Every infiltrator will have to leave. Putting a lock on infiltration is a firm responsibility of the NDA. In India, the law of the land will prevail, not the whims of infiltrators. This is Modi’s guarantee – action will be taken, and the country will see positive results,” he added.The back-to-back rallies in Araria and Bhagalpur, both located in Bihar’s eastern border zone marked the Prime Minister’s transition from Phase 1 themes of development and governance to the outer ring’s more emotive concerns of identity and security.
From governance to demography: BJP’s campaign shift
The Election Commission’s phase-wise polling plan has effectively divided Bihar into two geographical zones: an inner circuit of constituencies that voted in Phase 1 and an outer circuit along the state’s borders with Nepal and West Bengal that will vote in Phase 2.Phase 1, covering 121 seats, centred largely around issues of welfare, infrastructure and administration. Phase 2 — covering border districts such as Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj and Katihar — is now set to be dominated by debates around migration, infiltration and demographic change.According to the 2011 Census, the Seemanchal region has a 47% Muslim population, compared with the state average of 17.7%. The RJD–Congress alliance has traditionally drawn strong support here, with AIMIM also gaining ground in 2020 after winning five seats, splitting votes and indirectly aiding BJP’s performance in the area.The BJP’s renewed emphasis on infiltration seeks to convert the region’s border geography into a central campaign issue, a tactic the party has used previously in Assam and West Bengal.
Amit Shah amplifies PM’s pitch
Union home minister Amit Shah, campaigning across north Bihar, reinforced Modi’s message with a string of attacks on the Congress–RJD alliance. He accused Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rahul Gandhi of “welcoming infiltrators” and claimed that a vote for the opposition would mean a return of “jungle raj”.“Should infiltrators be removed from Bihar’s voter list or not? Lalu and Rahul say, ‘welcome the infiltrators.’ To protect them, Lalu’s son (RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav) and Rahul go on yatras. Lalu and Rahul, listen carefully, the BJP and NDA government will not only remove infiltrators from Benipatti and Madhubani, but will root them out from across the entire country,” Shah said.He also criticised Rahul Gandhi for his comments on the armed forces. “Rahul Gandhi should be ashamed for seeking to know about the caste and religion of Army jawans. We do not discriminate among military personnel based on caste or creed,” he said.Shah used the stage to highlight what he called PM Modi’s “decisive action” on national security. “During the Congress regime, Pakistani terrorists would come, detonate bombs and leave. No action would be taken against them. Instead, they were treated to biryani. Just recently, our men were killed in Pahalgam. PM Modi, in just 20 days, launched Operation Sindoor, in which we entered Pakistan’s home and wiped out the terrorists,” he said.
A map within a map
The phase-wise polling map released by the Election Commission reveals a distinct geographic structure. Phase 1 will cover constituencies located deep within Bihar, forming a tightly knit cluster at the state’s centre. These are almost entirely enclosed by Phase 2 constituencies, which lie along the periphery. Phase 2 stretches along Bihar’s borders with Nepal and parts of West Bengal, forming a ring-like belt that includes the Seemanchal region. This division sets up two contrasting campaign arenas — Phase 1’s interior seats are expected to focus on development, caste equations, and governance, whereas Phase 2’s border constituencies are likely to see migration, security, and demographic change dominate political debates.
Seemanchal at the heart of Phase 2
The Seemanchal belt, comprising four districts and 24 assembly seats, is emerging as the most politically charged theatre of the Bihar election. Its strategic position, demographic composition, and voter density make it a critical determinant of Phase 2 outcomes.The Election Commission’s schedule places these constituencies squarely in the November polling window, giving the BJP a clear opportunity to shape discourse in the intervening weeks.Party leaders say the government’s Summary Inclusion and Revision (SIR) process — the administrative review of voter rolls has already identified irregularities in the Seemanchal districts. “Even though the matter falls under the Union List, at the local level, people coming from Bangladesh are easily provided with Aadhaar cards,” said BJP Bihar vice-president Santosh Pathak. “The SIR has been completed, and so far, no objections have been filed by those excluded in the process, which shows that there are indeed infiltrators in the Seemanchal districts,” he added.According to Pathak, while development remains a key campaign plank, the issue of infiltration will have “political weight” in the second phase.
Phase 1: Record turnout, smooth polling
Phase 1 recorded a provisional voter turnout of 64.46%, chief electoral officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said. A total of 3.75 crore voters were eligible to decide the fate of 1,314 candidates across 121 constituencies. Polling took place in 45,341 stations, including 36,733 in rural areas. “Barring a few minor scuffles, voting passed off peacefully,” Gunjiyal said.The strong turnout in the first phase, BJP leaders say, signals positive voter sentiment and sets the stage for a more charged second phase, where border districts will dominate the political narrative.
Infiltration narrative and BJP’s past playbook
The BJP’s use of the “infiltrator” narrative is not new. The issue of illegal migration has featured prominently in earlier state campaigns in Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Delhi. In Jharkhand, for instance, PM Modi and Shah repeatedly accused the Hemant Soren-led government of converting the state into a “dharmashala for infiltrators”, while in Delhi, the BJP had clashed with AAP over alleged settlement of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.In Bihar, the issue has gained renewed prominence due to the state’s geographic vulnerability and high migration flows. Seemanchal’s proximity to the Bangladesh border via West Bengal, combined with its economic dependence on remittances, makes it a unique frontier for both development and identity politics.During his Independence Day address earlier this year, PM Modi warned of a “premeditated conspiracy” to alter the nation’s demography through illegal infiltration. “I wish to warn the country about a concern that is emerging as a crisis. As part of a premeditated conspiracy, the country’s demography is being changed. Seeds of a new crisis are being sown,” the Prime Minister said.“These ghuspaithiyas are snatching the bread and butter of our youth. These ghuspaithiyas are targeting our country’s daughters and sisters. This will not be tolerated,” he added.
High voter turnout proof of trust in NDA’s track record, says Modi
Meanwhiile, PM Modi on Friday said the record turnout in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections reflected the public’s faith in the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) governance model and its performance over the years. Addressing rallies in Aurangabad and Bhabhua ahead of the second phase of polling, the Prime Minister said the enthusiasm witnessed in the first round of voting was a “clear indication” that people wanted continuity and stability under the NDA. “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, the Maatri Shakti (mother power), 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,” Modi said, referring to the Election Commission’s provisional turnout figures. The Prime Minister said the people of Bihar had voted to ensure that “good governance” continued in the state. “They have not been taken in by the false promises of the RJD-helmed opposition. Even the Congress, despite being an ally, is not trusting the RJD’s promises made in their manifesto,” he said. Citing the examples of the Ram temple construction, the abrogation of Article 370 and Operation Sindoor, Modi told the crowd that he stood by his word. “I do what I promise,” he said, asserting that people’s faith was rooted in the NDA’s “delivery record.” The Prime Minister also praised the Election Commission for conducting polling smoothly across 121 constituencies in the first phase and said the turnout was a “message of confidence from the people of Bihar.” “The high participation of women and youth shows that people believe in the development journey of Bihar. They do not want a return of jungle raj, which had brought fear and stagnation to this state,” Modi said. According to the Election Commission, Bihar recorded a provisional voter turnout of 64.46 per cent in the first phase, the highest ever in the state’s electoral history. Voting took place across 45,341 polling stations in 18 districts, deciding the fate of 1,314 candidates.
What Phase 2 means for BJP
With the Seemanchal region forming the outer ring of Bihar’s electoral map, BJP leaders are expected to sustain their focus on infiltration and demographic issues in the coming weeks. The campaign’s thematic transition from development in the interior to border security in the periphery mirrors the phase-wise polling design itself.By anchoring the “infiltrator” narrative in Seemanchal, the BJP aims to consolidate its national security pitch in a region where local caste equations and religious demographics traditionally favour the opposition. The phase map with its concentric structure gives the party a natural pivot: interior seats tested on governance, and outer seats contested on security.As the Prime Minister said in Purnea, “Putting a lock on infiltration is the firm responsibility of the NDA… This is Modi’s guarantee.”The second phase, covering Bihar’s outer circuit, will determine whether that message resonates with voters beyond the rhetoric and whether the infiltration narrative becomes the defining axis of Bihar’s 2025 election. Go to Source