Patna: As Bihar gears up for its assembly elections, the political arena turned into a high-drama battlefield on Saturday, with parties pulling out all stops in a ‘hero versus villain’ narrative amid poster wars and helicopter tussles.
With just 11 days left for the first phase of polling, leaders from across the spectrum worked overtime, even on the weekend, to woo voters.
An RJD poster, prominently displayed outside its office, portrayed Tejashwi Yadav as ‘Bihar ka Nayak’ (Hero of Bihar), showcasing his smiling image.
This sparked sharp retorts. BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal dubbed Tejashwi a ‘villain’, while Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary dragged in Lalu Prasad Yadav, calling the family ‘villains’ and Lalu ‘Gabbar Singh’. Pappu Yadav, a Congress MP from Purnia, dismissed any hero aspirations and positioned himself as a humble servant of Bihar.
Adding fuel to the fire, Tejashwi’s brother Tej Pratap Yadav, contesting his own Jan Shakti Janata Dal, rejected returning to RJD, prioritising self-respect over power and mocking Tejashwi’s CM ambitions.
The day also saw a helicopter controversy in Khagaria, where Tejashwi’s chopper was denied landing permission because of Amit Shah’s rally as Union Home Minister at the same helipad, forcing him to cancel one event. Tejashwi slammed it as ‘dictatorship’. Interestingly, NDA leads in aerial campaigning with 11 helicopters — BJP booking nine — while RJD and Congress have two each. Costs soar at ₹3 lakh per hour plus GST, with parties shelling out lakhs daily.
Rallies intensified verbal volleys
Amit Shah warned against ‘jungle raj’ under Lalu-Rabri, urging development under NDA. Tejashwi hit back at Nitish Kumar’s governance and vowed to unite castes against BJP.
In other developments, Pappu Yadav received an income tax notice over cash distribution to flood victims, vowing to continue aid. JDU expelled 11 leaders, including ex-minister Shailesh Kumar, for anti-party activities.