Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday delivered a stark message to Bihar’s voters as the state gears up for elections: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) stands for “order, jobs, and growth,” while the RJD and Congress, embody “chaos and deceit.”

At a meeting in Patna during his three-day tour across the state, Shah took aim at the RJD’s poll promise of a government job for every family. “From where will the funds come to pay the salaries?” Shah asked.

He also hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra, dismissing it as the “ghuspetiya bachao yatra” (save infiltrator yatra). “The BJP won't allow illegal immigrants in the country,” Shah said.

Shah declared that Bihar was entering a new phase, one free from the shadow of Naxalism.

“This will be the first election in Bihar where voting will continue till 5 p.m. across the state. Bihar has become free of Naxalites,” he said, adding, “Bihar will be the growth engine of eastern India and lead the nation in the AI revolution. Bihar moving forward to regain its lost glory.”

The home minister promised large-scale industrialisation. “The new government’s focus will be to bring heavy industries to the state and create large-scale employment opportunities. The new NDA government will work towards opening data centres in the state,” he said.

Urging voters to reject dynasty-driven politics, Shah said, “Opt for the politics of performance. Dump parties like Congress and RJD that promote dynasties.”

He claimed the NDA’s record spoke for itself: “Inflation is now lowest in the country in four decades.”

Shah’s visit coincided with speculation over chief minister Nitish Kumar’s future role within the NDA.

On Friday, Shah met Kumar at his official residence, 1, Anney Marg, along with Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary.

Their meeting came amid reports of unease in the JD(U) over a seat-sharing formula that gives both allies, BJP and JD(U), 101 seats each.

JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha said, “Both leaders met today and the campaign strategy for the JD(U) in the coming days was discussed at length. There were no differences among the NDA constituents over seat-sharing arrangements. Everything is fine in the NDA.”

At a rally in Saran, Shah accused the RJD of compromising Bihar’s safety.

“I just saw the list of RJD candidates for the upcoming polls. The name of Shahabuddin’s son is on the list. You tell me, if RJD gives a ticket to Shahabuddin’s son, how can Bihar remain safe? You people need to remain alert about parties like RJD,” he said.

He invoked the state’s past to contrast it with what he called the NDA’s two decades of stability.

“If one has to take a vow to fight against Lalu’s ‘jungle raj’, or remind about how Lalu-Rabri had kept Bihar’s youth in check 20 years ago, then Saran is the best-suited place for that,” he said.

Shah presented Bihar as a state transformed under the NDA.

“Now it doesn’t even take five hours to travel from one corner of Bihar to another because of the slew of infrastructure projects implemented. This development has been done together by PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar. Before our government came here, migration, extortion, murders, and kidnappings were common. But we have built a lot of engineering and medical colleges, and upgraded roads,” he said.

He claimed migration had fallen and celebrated what he called the “four Diwalis of Bihar.”

“People of Bihar are celebrating four Diwalis this year — on the day of Diwali, on the day when the NDA government transferred Rs 10,000 into the accounts of ‘Jeevika Didis’, on the day when GST was reduced, and on November 14, when the results of the elections will be announced,” he said.

Framing Bihar’s election within the larger BJP narrative, Shah said the NDA’s campaign rests on Modi’s national leadership and Nitish’s state governance.

“The Modi government scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and facilitated the construction of the ‘grand temple’ in Ayodhya for Lord Ram, who was living in a ‘jhopri’ (hut) for 500 years. Now, a grand temple for Goddess Sita is being built at Punauradham in Bihar,” he said.

On national security, Shah drew a sharp contrast between the BJP and the UPA. “Terrorists used to play Holi with blood during the UPA rule at the Centre, but the Modi government struck terror camps inside Pakistan,” he said.