As Bihar hurtles toward a high-stakes assembly election, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who last set foot in the state on September has been absent from the campaign trail ever since.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fiery speeches, Amit Shah’s rallies, Tejashwi Yadav’s roadshows, and Prashant Kishor’s grassroots manoeuvres dominate the political landscape, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha has been missing from the scene ahead of Bihar polls.
Just weeks ago, Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra had electrified Bihar’s dusty roads and drawn massive crowds, reviving hopes for the Congress within the Mahagathbandhan.
But now, with only days left for polling, his silence has sparked speculation and unease — why has Rahul Gandhi disappeared from Bihar’s political battlefield at its most crucial hour?
The Vanishing Act: Rahul Gandhi’s Silence in Bihar Polls
Two months ago on September 1, the Congress leader wrapped up his Voter Adhikar Yatra at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan. He pitched it as a moral crusade to “protect the vote” and rally the people against what he called “vote chori” by the ruling NDA.
For sixteen days, he crisscrossed 1,300 kilometres through 25 districts and 110 constituencies — astride motorbikes, draped in a gamcha, chatting with makhana farmers, and flanked by allies like Tejashwi Yadav and Hemant Soren. For a brief moment, it seemed the Congress had found its pulse again in Bihar.
But that flicker has faded fast. Today, as Bihar’s political temperature touches boiling point, Rahul Gandhi is missing from the scene — in body, voice, and strategy.
When the Mahagathbandhan announced Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate on October 23, the press conference banner carried only Tejashwi’s face. Rahul wasn’t there — neither on stage nor in spirit.
The Congress, contesting 61 of the state’s 243 seats as part of the Mahagathbandhan, remains a distant shadow of its former self. In 2020, it had fielded 70 candidates but won just 19 seats — the poorest strike rate in the opposition camp, even as Tejashwi’s RJD surged ahead. This time, the story seems to be repeating, only with more confusion and less charisma.
Since the Patna rally, Rahul Gandhi has appeared publicly just five times — none of them in Bihar. In late September, he was seen grabbing pizza in Gurugram.
Early October took him to Colombia, where he warned that “India’s democratic system is under attack from all sides.” Days later, he addressed students at the University of Chile and lamented the assault on “free and scientific thinking.”
On October 17, he paid tribute to singer Zubeen Garg in Assam; three days later, he was rolling laddoos at a sweet shop in Old Delhi.
Meanwhile, in Bihar, the BJP’s top brass — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and party chief JP Nadda — have been on a relentless campaign spree.
Tejashwi Yadav has toured the state with emotional, youth-driven rallies. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Yatra has added yet another voice to the mix. And Congress? It’s been running largely on reruns — recycling clips from Rahul’s yatra, calling him “Jan Nayak”, the “hero of the people.”
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal insists that the party’s “full-throttle campaign” will begin after Chhath, with Rahul set to tour Bihar on October 29–30, followed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
A joint rally with Tejashwi is planned in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga. But for many within the party, this late entry feels less like timing — and more like irrelevance. On the ground, Rahul’s absence has left Congress candidates scrambling for both visibility and credibility.
The Crisis Within
If the Congress’s campaign looks adrift, its internal machinery is in deeper disarray. Ticket distribution triggered open rebellion, with state leaders accusing AICC in-charge Krishna Allavaru of corruption and favoritism.
Agitated workers stormed party offices, shouting, “Ticket chor, gaddi chhodd!” — an ironic echo of Rahul’s own slogan against the NDA, “Vote chor, gaddi chhodd!”
The dissent underscored the widening rift between Delhi’s leadership and Bihar’s grassroots cadre, just as the campaign entered its most crucial phase.
In a belated damage-control effort, senior leaders like Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel were flown in to douse fires — both within the party and with allies like the RJD. Even Hemant Soren, who once marched alongside Rahul in solidarity, has since walked out, choosing not to contest the elections at all.
Through it all, Rahul Gandhi has remained conspicuously absent — leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions, fading posters, and a campaign struggling to find its rhythm.
As Bihar votes in two phases beginning November 6, one mystery remains: will Rahul Gandhi’s last-minute reappearance reignite the Congress — or has his silence already sealed its fate?
Meanwhile, the BJP has transformed Bihar into a full-blown campaign battlefield. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken charge from the front, addressing massive rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai and urging voters to deliver a “record-breaking victory.”
Home Minister Amit Shah has held meetings in Siwan and Buxar, while party president J.P. Nadda has been busy wooing intellectuals in Vaishali. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP’s star campaigner, is scheduled to hold more than 20 rallies across the state.
The optics are unmistakable — a meticulously choreographed display of power, presence, and coordination.
On the other side, Rahul Gandhi’s ally and Mahagathbandhan face Tejashwi Yadav has been everywhere, crisscrossing the state with multiple rallies each day and connecting with crowds in his characteristic earthy tone.
