New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) As Bihar gears up for the second and final phase of the Assembly elections on November 11, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address three public meetings on Saturday as part of the BJP’s campaign efforts.

According to the party’s schedule, Amit Shah’s first public meeting will take place at 11:15 a.m. at Gorelal Mehta College Ground in Banmankhi, Purnia. This rally will cover the Kasba, Banmankhi, Rupauli, and Dhamdaha Assembly constituencies.

His second public meeting will be held at 12:45 p.m. at the Training College Ground, Musapur, Kodha, Katihar, where he will address voters from the Katihar, Barari, and Kodha Assembly constituencies.

The third and final rally of the day is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. at Lakhi Chand Sahu Senior Secondary School Ground, Nirmali, Simrahi, Supaul. This rally will cater to the Nirmali, Pipra, Triveniganj, and Chhatapur Assembly constituencies.

On Friday, Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) during a rally in Bhagalpur’s Pirpainti, warning voters against the return of what he termed the “jungle raj” if the RJD-led Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) came back to power in Bihar.

Shah said that although the era of lawlessness associated with the RJD’s rule had long been pushed to the margins, it was “raring for a comeback in a new form and shape.” He urged the people not to fall for what he described as the “lofty and populist promises” of the Opposition alliance.

“Your one vote will strengthen them and contribute to their efforts to bring back jungle raj,” Shah warned, taking aim at the RJD-Congress combine.

He also attacked the “tainted record” of Mahagathbandhan leaders Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, claiming that their political aspirations were driven by dynastic motives.

“They engage in corruption; we engage in development. Lalu ji wants to make his son the Chief Minister, and Sonia ji wants to make her son the Prime Minister,” he said.

“But listen carefully,” Shah added, “neither Rahul will become the Prime Minister nor Tejashwi will become the Chief Minister, because Modi ji is in Delhi and Nitish Kumar ji is in Bihar.”

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections concluded peacefully on Thursday, recording a voter turnout of 64.66 per cent, the highest in the state’s electoral history, according to Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal.

A total of 121 Assembly constituencies across 18 districts went to polls, with 3,75,13,302 electors — comprising 1,98,35,325 male, 1,76,77,219 female, and 758 third-gender voters.

To facilitate voting, 45,341 polling stations were set up across the state, including 36,733 in rural areas and 8,608 in urban areas.

With campaigning entering its final stretch, both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — led by the BJP and Janata Dal (United) — and the Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by the RJD and Congress, have intensified their outreach efforts. Leaders from other political parties have also stepped up their campaigning as Bihar braces for a high-stakes electoral battle.

In the second and final phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, 122 out of 243 constituencies will go to the polls. According to the Election Commission, 1,302 candidates are contesting in this phase.

While the BJP hailed the turnout as evidence of “pro-incumbency,” the Congress maintained it had “ground reports” suggesting that “12 out of 15 ministers” contesting in the first phase were likely to lose.

–IANS

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