Giriraj Singh takes a jibe at Rahul Gandhi: 'He can get old-age pension started by Nitish Kumar'
Congress headed towards a poor outing as per the early trends in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025. Union Minister Giriraj Singh took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the party.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh took a dig at Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi, amidst the weak run of the Indian National Congress in the Bihar Assembly Polls 2025.
Congress lingered in the single digits as per the initial trends on the voting day on November 14. The grand old party contested on 61 seats, nine fewer than it had done in 2020, but stayed in the single digits as the Mahagathbandhan struggled to put on a show.
Meanwhile, Giriraj took a dig at Gandhi, saying that he is no longer young and is nearing the age where he can avail an old-age pension, which was started by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"A journalist asked me, 'A pair of two youngsters is losing again'. I replied Who? I can consider Tejaswi Yadav according to his age, but Rahul Gandhi? He is nearing 60. He might now get Nitish Kumar's age-old pension," he said exclusively to India TV.
The Textiles minister also stated that until the Gandhi family keeps control of the Congress party, it will continue to stay in such a position. "Till the time the Gandhi family keeps control over Congress, the situation of the party will remain the same. This is the 35th election that Congress have now lost. The party can't see anyone apart from the Gandhi family," he added.
The counting of votes for the Bihar Assembly Elections got underway at 8 AM on November 14. Bihar voted in the 2025 Assembly elections in two phases - the first on November 6 and the second on November 11. This year, the state recorded an unprecedented voter turnout, marking a significant milestone in its electoral history. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), 65.08% of voters participated in the first phase, while the second phase saw an even higher turnout of 69.20%. These are the highest polling figures ever registered in Bihar.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), comprises the Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). On the other side, the Congress has partnered with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Left parties, and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).