Mallikarjun Kharge (ANI)
NEW DELHI: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday dismissed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claims of securing over 160 seats in the ongoing Bihar Assembly elections, asserting that the final verdict will rest with the people, not political slogans or data projections.“We have faith in the people. We know where they get their data and figures from. Earlier as well, they gave a slogan of 400 paar and whatnot. But we have faith only in the people. People will do justice and decide what’s best for them,” Kharge said, responding to the NDA’s claim of a sweeping victory.Taking aim at the NDA’s frequent use of the “jungle raj” narrative against the opposition, Kharge questioned why the BJP-led alliance had failed to curb law and order issues or illegal infiltration despite being in power for years.“Jungle Raj and all these things are old issues. Why did they not end jungleraj in 20 years? Why didn’t they push out infiltrators? This is a failure of the central government and the state government. I want to call out their double-engine government for this failure,” he said.Kharge’s remarks came soon after Union home minister Amit Shah told a rally in Purnea that the NDA would win “over 160 seats” in the 243-member assembly. Shah has been leading the BJP’s campaign across Bihar, highlighting, according to him, infrastructure growth, improved law and order, and social welfare measures under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar.Shah has repeatedly warned voters against a possible return of “jungle raj” under a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led government, accusing the RJD-Congress alliance of prioritising family interests over governance. He has cited incidents of violence, kidnapping, and extortion during the RJD’s previous tenure to back his charge.The NDA campaign has centred around themes of development, security, and regional pride, while the opposition bloc, including the Congress and RJD, has sought to counter the allegations with price rise, unemployment, and failure of the so-called “double-engine” government.The first phase of the Bihar elections this week recorded a 65.08 per cent voter turnout, the highest in the state’s electoral history. The second phase of polling for 122 seats will take place on November 11, with results scheduled for November 14.
