Union Home Minister Amit Shah, leading the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) high-octane campaign in poll-bound Bihar, delivered a searing attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Congress alliance during a rally in Siwan on October 17, 2025. Addressing supporters in Saran, Shah lauded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for dismantling the notorious “Jungle Raj”—a term synonymous with the RJD’s alleged era of lawlessness—over the past two decades, positioning Kumar as Bihar’s bulwark against crime and instability.

Shah’s sharpest criticism targeted the RJD’s decision to field Osama Shahab, son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, as a candidate from Raghunathpur in Siwan. “How can they ensure the security of Bihar’s people when they parade such candidates?” Shah asked, accusing the RJD-Congress alliance of jeopardizing the state’s hard-won progress. He framed the upcoming November elections as a chance for Bihar’s voters to celebrate “two Diwalis”—one festive and one political—by rejecting the opposition and securing a landslide for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

On the second day of his three-day Bihar tour, Shah met with Nitish Kumar in Patna to finalize NDA seat-sharing arrangements, signaling unity despite reported tensions within the coalition. Shah exuded confidence in a sweeping NDA victory, predicting the “biggest majority in 20 years” on November 14, when votes are counted after two-phase polling on November 6 and 11. He highlighted the NDA’s development agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including economic initiatives like direct benefit transfers for women, contrasting it with the opposition’s alleged regression to a crime-ridden past.

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The Congress, part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance, came under fire for endorsing the RJD’s candidate choices, with Shah accusing it of complicity in undermining Bihar’s security. As the Election Commission tightens oversight to curb illicit campaign funding, the RJD-Congress alliance faces mounting pressure, having announced 48 candidates amid ongoing seat-sharing talks. Shah’s Siwan-Saran blitz underscores the BJP’s strategy to weaponize the “Jungle Raj” narrative, casting the opposition as a threat to Bihar’s stability while rallying voters around the NDA’s vision of progress.

This escalating rhetoric highlights the high stakes in Bihar’s electoral battle, where law and order remain a flashpoint. Shah’s invocation of Shahabuddin’s legacy—linked to decades-old fears of criminal dominance—aims to sway voters in a state poised for a pivotal political reckoning.

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