"Symbols of jungle raj will disappear": BJP's Gaurav Bhatia confident on NDA forming govt in Bihar

New Delhi [India], October 4 (ANI): Ahead of the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Saturday asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form the government in the state and will make the symbols of jungle raj "disappear".
"When the results of the Bihar assembly elections are announced, the NDA government will be formed again. The BJP government will be formed, and these symbols of jungle raj, those who raise slogans of 'Shahabuddin Zindabad', will disappear," Bhatia said while addressing a press conference.
Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar chaired discussions with all the recognised political parties of Bihar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar Vinod Singh Gunjyal and senior officers of the Commission.
During the interaction, the Election Commission (EC) stated that political parties are the cornerstone of democracy and that all parties should ensure their participation at every stage of a transparent electoral process.
The EC urged voters to celebrate the festival of elections with harmony and respect, and to experience the transparency of the elections. It also urged political parties to ensure that they nominate polling agents at every polling booth.
Political parties thanked the EC for taking "historic, transparent, and firm" measures to purify the electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and reiterated their complete commitment and faith in the electoral process.
They also thanked the EC for setting a maximum number of voters per polling station at 1,200.
Moreover, representatives from various political parties demanded that elections be conducted immediately after the Chhath festival to ensure maximum voter participation and suggested holding the elections in as few phases as possible.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today claimed irregularities in the final electoral roll after the Special Intensive Revision of the list in Bihar. Sharing a media report, he alleged that 247 voters were found in a single household, and a person's name appears three times on the same booth.
Alleging that the SIR was orchestrated at the behest of the ruling regime, he called the Election Commission the BJP's "B-team".
Ramesh, General Secretary in charge of Communications in Congress, wrote on X, "The Election Commission has orchestrated the entire SIR drama at the behest of the BJP. Even the claims of reforms by the Election Commission in the final SIR are proving to be false. Reports are coming in from all regions of Bihar that confirm the sole purpose of the entire process is to provide political advantage to the BJP and its allied parties."
"Even after the SIR process, numerous instances of irregularities in the final list indicate that the Election Commission has no regard for the clear orders of the Supreme Court. Functioning as the B-team of the BJP, the Election Commission has descended into complete shamelessness," he added.
The electoral contest in Bihar is largely expected to be a direct fight between the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the Mahagathbandhan led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the NDA currently holds 131 seats, with the BJP holding 80, JD(U) 45, HAM(S) 4, and two Independents. The Mahagathbandhan holds 111 seats, with the RJD securing 77, followed by the Congress with 19, the CPI(ML) with 11, the CPI(M) with 2, and the CPI with 2.
Political activity has intensified in the state, with parties trading charges as they gear up for a high-stakes election battle. (ANI)