Bihar elections heat up: Congress release second list ahead of PM Modi's October 24 campaign

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 18 (ANI): The contest for the Bihar Assembly elections is intensifying daily as the Congress party releases its second list amid the ongoing Mahagathbandhan seat-sharing crisis. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to kickstart his election campaign from October 24.
In the latest list, the Congress party has fielded Shaswat Kedar Pandey from Narkatiaganj, whereas it has announced Qamrul Hoda as the candidate from Kishanganj. Irfan Alam, Jitender Yadav and Mohan Shrivasta will contest from Kasba, Purnia and Gaya Town constituencies.
Congress's Pawan Khera said that everything within the Mahagathbandhan has been finalised, and he said that the announcement will be made at the right time and place.
"Everything has been finalised, only the announcement has to be made, which will be made at the right time," Pawan Khera told reporters on Saturday.
Khera also slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his "Jungle Raj" statement and suggested that he look at the condition of his state.
"UP CM Yogi Adityanath gives statements on 'Jungle raaj' here, first he should look at the condition in his state," he said.
BJP president Dilip Jaiswal on Saturday informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the state on October 24 and will address two public rallies as part of his election campaign.
Jaiswal stated that PM Modi's election campaign will begin from Samastipur and later he will head to Begusarai to address public rallies.
"PM's proposed visit to Bihar is on 24th October. In Bihar, he will address public rallies at two places. His election campaign will begin on 24th October from Samastipur. From there, he will head to Begusarai and address a public rally there. His second proposed visit is on [30th] October," Dilip Jaiswal told ANI.
When asked about the possibility of PM Modi participating in Chhath Puja celebrations, Jaiswal said the Prime Minister has no plans to attend the festival this year due to security concerns and to avoid inconveniencing the public.
"Since there is a matter of security, to ensure that common people celebrating Chhath do not face any issues, he has no such programme on Chhath. He wanted to come, but the common people celebrating Chhath would face inconvenience. So, there is no such programme," Jaiswal added.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced on Saturday that it will contest the Bihar polls independently, rather than as part of the Mahagathbandhan.
The announcement came after the Mahagathbandhan, which includes RJD and Congress, failed to seal a pact for the first phase of the Bihar polls, with the nomination process ending on Friday. The constituents of Mahagathbandhan are engaged in a "friendly fight" on some seats.
JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya announced that the party will contest six seats independently.
In Ranchi, JMM General Secretary and Spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, "Dhamdaha, Chakai, Katoria, Manihari, Jamui and Pirpainti - we will contest these. The situation everywhere is different. Why is Congress contesting against RJD? Why is CPI contesting against VIP? Election strategies change."
The Janata Dal (United) also changed its candidate from the Amaur Assembly constituency on Saturday and has fielded Sabir Ali from the seat.
JD(U) had earlier announced Saba Zafar as their candidate from the Amour seat, where polling will be held in the second phase of the Bihar elections on November 11.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is poised to secure a resounding victory in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, while taking a sharp dig at the opposition bloc Mahagathbandhan, saying that it is in a fragmented state -- "dil ke tukde hazaar huye, koi yahan gire, koi wahan gire."
Singh also noted that there is no such thing as 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar, asserting the public's disinterest in RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
In 2010, JD(U) and BJP made a record together when they won 206 seats. This time, we will go higher than that. We have 'neta' (leader), 'netritva' (leadership) and programme. There is no such thing as 'mahagathbandhan', there is no trust in Tejashwi Yadav. They are not ready to consider each other leaders. They neither have 'neta' nor 'netritva'," Giriraj Singh told ANI.
The Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD and Congress, was unable to finalise a seat-sharing pact for the first phase of the Bihar polls, as the nomination process concluded on Friday. The constituents of Mahagathbandhan are engaged in a "friendly fight" on some seats.
Meanwhile, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) shared a seat distribution list, and the party has already begun its groundwork across key constituencies.
Earlier on Saturday, Chirag Paswan, the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Patna to discuss the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) preparations and strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls.
Polling for the Bihar elections 2025 will take place on November 6 and 11. The results will be announced on November 14. (ANI)