Rahul Gandhi eyes Nitish Kumar’s bastion ahead of Bihar elections 2025.
Patna, June 3, 2025: With the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections drawing closer, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Nalanda, the home district of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
His mission: to connect with the OBC and EBC communities, traditionally the backbone of Nitish Kumar’s political base.
While Nitish Kumar, a leader from the Magadh region, has held the reins of Bihar for nearly two decades, the Opposition sees 2025 as a turning point.
Rahul Gandhi’s strategy, however, is not rooted in political rallies but in social outreach programs.
According to a Congress leader, his upcoming visit June 6 will include interactions with backward and extremely backward classes in Rajgir and women in Gaya.
Congress positioning the visit of Rahul Gandhi as social, not political:
Congress leaders insist that Rahul Gandhi is not campaigning but listening. Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram emphasized that Gandhi’s engagements are social in nature, aiming to understand the concerns of the most marginalized rather than seeking votes outright.
“Rahul Gandhi is not participating in political events. He is here to listen and understand the struggles of ordinary Biharis,” said Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore.
Gandhi’s fifth visit to Bihar in 2025 marks a clear effort to build grassroots connections. Previous visits have included attendance at the Constitution Protection Conference, birth anniversary celebrations of social reformers, and the screening of the film ‘Phule’.
Reading between the lines, a political game in disguise:
Despite Congress’ insistence that the visit is social, analysts believe Rahul Gandhi is quietly laying the groundwork for a serious political challenge to the JD(U)-BJP alliance. With the EBC-OBC vote bank being pivotal, Gandhi’s presence in Nalanda, a symbolic stronghold of Nitish Kumar, is viewed as an attempt to breach the ruling party’s base.
JDU hits back: “Political tourism”:
The JD(U), however, has dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s outreach as mere optics. Party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar quipped.
“Rahul Gandhi is on a political tourism trip. Nitish Kumar has made Rajgir a beautiful destination. Over 3 crore tourists have visited he’s welcome to enjoy the scenery.”
He added that Rahul lacks the political strength or credibility to challenge Nitish Kumar in Bihar.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi to visit Darbhanga on May 15, Launches ‘Nyay Samvad’ to address youth issues in Bihar.
EOM