The Congress party is intensifying its electioneering in Bihar with a multifaceted strategy, including a high-profile joint rally featuring Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, alongside plans to unveil its manifesto ahead of the first voting phase. This surge counters BJP's taunts over the perceived absence of top Congress brass, signalling a coordinated push by the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) to reclaim momentum in the state assembly polls scheduled for November. With Bihar's 243 seats up for grabs, the campaign's escalation comes at a pivotal moment, as alliances solidify and voter outreach intensifies in a state where caste arithmetic and development promises dominate discourse.

At the core of the plan is a mega rally where Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, will share the stage with Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and alliance face, aimed at galvanising youth and marginalised voters before the initial polling on November 7. Sources indicate the event, likely in a key northern district like Muzaffarpur or Darbhanga, will amplify the opposition's "vote chori" narrative—alleging electoral fraud in recent polls—while highlighting welfare pledges.

This joint appearance underscores the alliance's unity, forged after the 2020 victory that ousted Nitish Kumar's BJP-backed coalition, though internal frictions have simmered amid Kumar's flip-flops. The rally's timing exploits post-festival fervour, positioning the duo as a dynamic counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's anticipated visits.

Building on this, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are slated to dive into the fray post-Chhath Puja, Bihar's grandest festival commencing October 27. Kharge, credited with mending alliance ties, will target rural strongholds with promises of caste census implementation and enhanced reservations, echoing the party's national push.

Priyanka, leveraging her oratory flair, will focus on women's empowerment and education, drawing from her Uttar Pradesh playbook, where she mobilised 40% female turnout in 2022. Their entry, delayed by the puja—a week-long sun-worship ritual symbolising Bihar's cultural ethos—will span virtual town halls and door-to-door canvassing, aiming to counter the BJP's narrative of opposition disarray in a state where Congress held just 19 seats in 2015.

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The manifesto, set for release by early November, will outline ambitious reforms like universal basic income for farmers and urban job guarantees, tailored to Bihar's agrarian woes and 33% youth unemployment rate. This document, crafted with RJD input, seeks to differentiate from BJP's Hindutva focus, emphasising social justice in a populace where 60% belong to OBC, SC, and ST categories. As the opposition ramps up, BJP-JD(U) counters with infrastructure blitzes and anti-corruption drives.

With 6.6 crore voters and a history of razor-thin margins—2015 saw a 2.5% swing decide the government—these moves could tip scales in a battle projected to cost Rs 5,000 crore, underscoring Bihar's enduring role as India's political bellwether.

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