Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant landed in Patna on Saturday and couldn’t hide his excitement about Bihar’s big changes ahead of the state elections. He called the local airport a showstopper, saying it feels just like an international hub.
“I’m visiting Bihar for the first time during election season,” Sawant told reporters. “Right from landing, I could see how much the state has transformed. It felt like I stepped into an international airport.”
Sawant plans to stay in Bihar for two days to ramp up the campaign. He’ll chat with BJP party workers and boost morale across the state. He’s upbeat about the polls, predicting voters will bring back the BJP-led “double-engine” government.
“The people of Bihar will definitely call for the return of the double-engine setup,” he said confidently.
Sawant didn’t shy away from jabs at opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who has warned that democracy faces big threats in India. Sawant fired back, pointing to the Congress party’s past as the real low point for democracy.
“The biggest danger to democracy came during Congress rule,” he asserted. “Now, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, we have a government of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’—development for all. That’s why infrastructure and human resources are booming in Bihar and the whole country.”
In another twist, BJP MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy slammed Gandhi’s recent claims of vote theft through electronic voting machines (EVMs). Reddy called it a desperate excuse, especially with Bihar elections looming.
“After losses in Maharashtra and Haryana, he blamed the EVMs,” Reddy told . “Now he knows he’s going to lose Bihar, so he’s making these excuses beforehand. If we could really tamper with EVMs, why would we even need to steal votes?”
On the other side, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav rallied supporters for the Bihar Adhikar Yatra, claiming thousands showed up because folks are fed up with the current government. He pointed to rising corruption and extortion in block offices and police stations as major gripes.
“The entire public of Bihar is furious with the Nitish Kumar government,” Yadav said. “Corruption has spiked, and extortion is rampant in block offices and police stations.” Before kicking off the yatra, he promised a clean sweep: “When we come to power, we’ll build a corruption-free, crime-free Bihar.”
The Bihar Assembly elections are set for later this year, pitting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA)—which includes the BJP, JD(U), and others—against the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. Right now, in the 243-seat assembly, the NDA holds 131 seats: BJP with 80 MLAs, JD(U) with 45, HAM(S) with 4, plus support from two independents. The battle for Bihar’s future is heating up fast.
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