With Rahul Gandhi Rally, Manifesto Plan, Congress Speeds Up Bihar Poll Campaign

The Congress has a three-pronged plan to amp up the campaign in Bihar. Amid BJP allegations about the no-show of senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, the Grand Alliance has planned for Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav to address a joint rally before the first phase of election. 

The tempo will be built up with the entry of senior Congress leaders in the poll-bound state.  

Sources said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will join the party campaign in Bihar after the Chhath puja, the state's biggest festival which is due on October 27. 

The party will release its manifesto on October 28. 

The opposition Grand Alliance, after a long period of indecision and internal tussle over seats, has finally announced Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav as its Chief Ministerial candidate and  Mukesh Sahani, the chief of Vikassheel Insaan Party, as his deputy. 

The announcement was made in Patna today by senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot. At the time, he also took a swipe at the state's ruling NDA, which is yet to confirm Nitish Kumar as its candidate for the top job.

"I want to ask Amit Shah... our leader is Tejashwi Yadav. Now they should confirm who is their Chief Minister face," Gehlot said.

"Nitish Kumar is facing injustice. There has been no announcement that Nitish Kumar is the NDA's Chief Ministerial face. We want to ask Amit Shah, you declared Nitish Kumar as the Chief Ministerial face before every election, why not this time? This is Nitish Kumar's last election. Amit Shah has made it clear," Tejashwi Yadav said. 

The Grand Alliance's show of solidarity came amid developments that were clearly seen as signs of rift ahead of the crucial state elections - among them ally Hemant Soren's decision to pull out of the Bihar race and declaration that his party would review the alliance with Tejashwi Yadav's party and the Congress. 

Elections to 243 seats of the Bihar assembly will be held on November 6 and November 11. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.