As campaigning intensifies for the upcoming 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, political stakes in Bihar are soaring. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has accused the opposition of seeking to resurrect a regime of lawlessness—branding it “jungle raj”—while the opposition alliance has sharply criticised the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) manifesto and alleged a breakdown in governance. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has ordered the transfer of key officials in the Mokama constituency following a politically charged killing.
Campaign activity across Bihar has reached a fever pitch with both major coalitions deploying top leaders to sway voters ahead of the two-phase election. The NDA, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its state ally Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), has sought to frame the contest as a choice between development and the restoration of “jungle raj.” In a rally at Lakhisarai, Amit Shah dismissed the opposition’s manifesto as “false” and warned Bihar voters that a return to lawlessness looms if the opposition alliance gains power.
On the other side, the opposition Mahagathbandhan—led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Indian National Congress (INC)—has counter-attacked, accusing the government of corruption, of failing to deliver jobs, and of presiding over deteriorating law and order. Their campaign emphasises unemployment, migration, and caste-based grievances.
A flashpoint in the campaign has been a political killing in the Mokama Assembly constituency, where a worker of the Jan Suraaj Party was shot dead amid mounting tensions. The Election Commission responded by ordering immediate transfers of senior administrative and police officials in the area, signalling concern about election-related violence and misconduct.
Another key battleground is the manifesto war. The NDA’s “Sankalp Patra” emphasizes welfare schemes, infrastructure, and law-and-order assurances. The Mahagathbandhan’s document, meanwhile, focuses on youth jobs, farmers, Dalits, and backward castes. The NDA alleges the opposition’s manifesto is merely a “rate-list of corruption and crime,” while the opposition accuses the ruling bloc of offering hollow promises and relying on “jumlas” (empty slogans).
Law and order—and the spectre of “jungle raj”—has emerged as a dominant theme. BJP president J. P. Nadda warned voters that the nomination of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin’s son by the RJD signals a return to an era of anarchy, kidnappings, and extortion. Conversely, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the current government of presiding over “jungle raj” in Bihar, pointing to rising crime statistics under the NDA.
With voting scheduled on 6 and 11 November and counting on 14 November, the campaigns are leaving little to chance. The first phase will commence with over 90,000 polling stations and tens of millions of voters, including approximately 14 lakh first-time voters.
As Bihar heads into the decisive 2025 Assembly elections, the battle lines are sharply drawn. The BJP-led NDA is pitching its narrative of sustained development and restoration of law and order, while the Mahagathbandhan is mobilising around issues of unemployment, social justice, and accusations of governance failure. The undercurrent of the campaign—whether voters believe the “jungle raj” rhetoric or the counter-narrative of a broken status quo—may well determine the outcome. With administrative scrutiny increasing and violence concerns rising, the stage is set for a high-stakes contest with significant implications for Bihar’s political future.
