Following considerable efforts, the visit to the Janaki Temple by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav was arranged. Initially, the administration cited security reasons for not allowing the visit. Priyanka Gandhi had also planned to visit the temple but returned to Delhi due to unresolved route issues. However, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav visited the temple early in the morning and offered prayers.

Krishna Allaveru, the Bihar in-charge for the Congress, stated that they respect all religions and their deities, emphasizing the good aspects of each faith and a commitment to not spread hatred. Rajesh Ram, the Bihar Congress President, expressed wishes for blessings upon all, seeking the welfare of the people and the progress of the country and the state of Bihar.

The Voter Rights Yatra commenced on August 17th in Sasaram. The yatra includes Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI(ML), Mukesh Sahni of VIP, and other leaders from the Mahagathbandhan. On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Rights Yatra reached Sitamarhi from Muzaffarpur.

The Mahagathbandhan’s voter rights yatra resumed from Supaul towards Madhubani after a nine-day break. Priyanka Gandhi was seen with Rahul and Tejashwi in a jeep. This marked Priyanka’s first participation in the yatra, and she greeted the public with a wave. A large crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of her.

Priyanka chose significant days for her participation. Her first day coincided with Hartalika Teej, a festival primarily celebrated by women in Bihar. Women along the route were seen with puja thalis. Priyanka interacted with women at a camp, listening to their concerns.

The second day of the yatra, Ganesh Chaturthi, will see the yatra entering Sitamarhi, the land of Mother Janaki. Congress strategists are keen for Rahul, Priyanka, and Tejashwi to visit the Janaki Temple. According to Alka Lamba, the President of the Mahila Congress, Priyanka chose to participate during women’s festivals, and is also engaging with the women of Bihar. She is also planning to visit the Janaki Temple.

Sources reveal that Rahul and Priyanka are keen to visit the Janaki Temple. Their strategists are working to finalize security arrangements and routes to accommodate the large crowds of workers, leaders, and the public. However, the temple visit has not been confirmed yet due to security considerations.

The BJP raised questions regarding the Gandhi family’s absence from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. In response, the Congress stated that even the Shankaracharyas, the most important figures in Sanatan Dharma, questioned the incomplete temple consecration. The Congress maintained that the Ram Temple event was a BJP publicity stunt, not an act of faith, and further noted that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had facilitated the opening of the Ram Temple.

Shah’s itinerary includes a stop in Darbhanga followed by a visit to Punauradham in the Sitamarhi district. There, he will inaugurate the Janaki Temple’s redevelopment project, which is estimated to cost over ₹882.87 crore. This location is considered the birthplace of Goddess Sita. The ceremony will be attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and several Union Ministers. The temple is being constructed on a sprawling 67-acre area and is slated for completion within 11 months. The temple’s design mirrors the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra in Ayodhya. Punauradham is situated approximately 5 kilometers west of the Sitamarhi district headquarters.

The Tirhut division, also known as Tirhut Commissionerate, comprises six districts with Muzaffarpur as its headquarters. These districts are Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, West Champaran (headquartered in Bettiah), East Champaran (headquartered in Motihari), Vaishali (headquartered in Hajipur), and Sheohar. These six districts collectively represent 49 assembly seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited East Champaran on July 18th. This region is considered a stronghold for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Amit Shah aims to either maintain or improve upon the 2020 election results.

The NDA holds a strong grip in the Muzaffarpur district, securing victory in 6 out of 11 seats. The NDA currently holds these 6 seats. In 2020, Musafir Paswan of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), who contested the Bochahan seat with the NDA, won. However, after his death, his son joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and won the 2022 by-election.

West Champaran has been a BJP bastion. In the 2020 elections, the NDA won 8 out of 9 seats. The BJP secured 7 seats, while its ally, the Janata Dal United (JDU), won one seat. The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) secured only one victory from the Sikta seat, won by the CPI-ML.

In the neighboring East Champaran district, the NDA won 9 out of 12 seats. The BJP won 8 of these seats, the JDU won one, and the RJD secured victory in 3 seats.

Vaishali district, a politically significant area in Bihar, is predominantly a Yadav-dominated region and is considered a stronghold of Lalu Yadav. The district has 8 assembly seats, with the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan each winning 4 seats. The BJP won 3 of the NDA seats, while the RJD also won 3 seats, and its ally, the Congress, won one.

Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader and a contender for the Chief Minister’s post, won the 2020 election from the Raghopur seat and aims to achieve a hat-trick of victories. His father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and mother, Rabri Devi, have also won elections from this constituency.

Sitamarhi, known as the birthplace of Goddess Sita, has 8 assembly seats. The NDA won 6 seats, with the BJP alone securing 4 seats. The RJD won 2 seats. In the Sheohar district, the Mahagathbandhan won the sole seat in the 2020 election, with RJD candidate Chetan Anand winning. However, he later joined the JDU, shifting the seat to the NDA.

Overall, the NDA has maintained a strong presence in this division. In the 2020 elections, the BJP fielded candidates in 110 seats and won 74. This impressive performance made the BJP the second-largest single party in the assembly, after the Rashtriya Janata Dal. The ruling JDU experienced a setback, with their seats decreasing from 71 to 43. The JDU leader Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister for the NDA. The BJP secured 27 seats from this Tirhut division alone out of the 71. The BJP-led NDA secured victory in 33 out of the 49 seats, with the BJP alone winning 27. Consequently, this division holds immense importance for the BJP.