Mallikarjun Kharge urges Bihar voters to teach 'opportunistic rulers' a lesson

The Congress on Thursday, 6 November, appealed to the people of Bihar to vote for change in the ongoing Assembly elections. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged voters to come out in large numbers and choose a new direction for the state.

In a post on X, soon after polling began for the first phase of elections, Kharge said voters had a “golden opportunity” to teach a lesson to “opportunistic rulers” who had “betrayed Bihar by calling corruption, misgovernance, and jungle raj development.”

“Voting for the first phase has begun in Bihar, the birthplace of democracy. I appeal to every voter to use their constitutional right and give the state a new direction after 20 years,” he wrote in Hindi.

लोकतंत्र की जन्मस्थली, बिहार में विधानसभा चुनाव के पहले चरण का मतदान शुरू हो चुका है। मेरी बिहार के हर मतदाता से अपील है कि अधिक से अधिक संख्या में अपने संवैधानिक अधिकार का प्रयोग करें और 20 साल बाद प्रदेश को बदलाव की एक नई दिशा प्रदान करे।

हमें एक ऐसे बिहार का निर्माण करना है…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) November 6, 2025

Bihar polls: 60.25% voter turnout recorded in 1st phase as voting concludes

Kharge said the Congress wanted to build a Bihar where young people could find jobs and not be forced to migrate for work. He added that every community — Dalits, Adivasis, backward and extremely backward classes, minorities, and the economically weaker sections — should have equal rights and opportunities.

“The people of Bihar must not let this opportunity slip away. Especially the youth voting for the first time should come forward and vote for change,” he said.

Priyanka Gandhi also urged people to vote in large numbers. “My dear brothers, sisters, mothers, and youth of Bihar — today is the day to decide your future with your own hands. Come out and take part in this great festival of democracy,” she said in her message.

“Vote for jobs, education, healthcare, a bright future for Bihar, and to protect democracy and the Constitution,” she added.

Polling began at 7 am for 121 Assembly seats in the first phase of the Bihar elections and will continue till 5 pm. Around 3.75 crore voters are expected to decide the fate of 1,314 candidates, including key leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav of the INDIA bloc and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.

With PTI inputs