Amit Shah Vows to Tackle Infiltration in Bihar as NDA Projects 160+ Seats in Elections

The SIR is also a factor contributing to the increased voting percentage, Shah stated.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has expressed confidence that the NDA will secure power with over 160 of the 243 seats in Bihar, highlighting that infiltration is a significant issue in the state, particularly in the Seemanchal region, which comprises 24 seats.

In an interview with NDTV's Editor (Politics) Vasudha Venugopal in Purnea on Saturday, Shah emphasized that infiltrators will be completely removed within the next five years.

"Infiltration is a very important issue. The entire Seemanchal region is troubled because of illegal infiltrators, their illegal businesses, and illegal encroachment. And this directly affects the law and order here. We have decided that, in the next five years, we will throw out the infiltrators, shut down their illegal businesses, and remove every single illegal encroachment one by one," Shah declared.

When questioned about the NDA's electoral prospects in Bihar, Shah confidently predicted that the alliance would dominate the elections, noting the growing enthusiasm among people as the electoral process continues.

"The way people cheer for us, I feel that the people of Bihar are with the NDA, with the BJP. We will go much beyond 160 seats. The NDA will get a minimum of 160 seats. I call it a fight by five Pandavas because all five constituent parties [JDU, BJP, LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha and the Rashtriya Lok Manch] of the NDA are united, without any dispute. We are running a joint campaign on the ground, from the booth level to the state level, under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji and Nitish Kumar ji," he explained.

Addressing the record voter turnout of 64.66 percent in the first phase, which sometimes suggests anti-incumbency, the senior BJP leader attributed this partly to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar.

"The SIR is also a reason why the voting percentage increased, because the wasted votes - those who had passed away or were living elsewhere - were also removed," he clarified.

The second phase of voting in Bihar, covering 122 constituencies, including all four districts in the Seemanchal region, is scheduled for Tuesday, with counting to take place on Friday.