Special trains to Bihar for voters? Railways denies Kapil Sibal's claim

The Railways Ministry refuted Kapil Sibal's claim that special trains from Haryana were used to ferry voters to Bihar. The ministry stated these were unscheduled trains run to manage a sudden surge in passenger demand during the festival season.

The Ministry of Railways on Sunday refuted Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal's claim that four special trains from Haryana on November 3 were used to transport people specifically to vote in Bihar, asserting that these were unscheduled special services deployed to address a sudden surge in passenger demand. https://x.com/RailMinIndia/status/1987475552417308774?s=20

In a post on X, the Ministry of Railways wrote, "This festival season, the Railways are running 12,000 special trains. 10,700 special trains are scheduled. And about 2000 trains are unscheduled. We are operating war rooms at three levels, divisional, zonal, and Railway board level. Whenever there is a sudden rush of passengers at any station, we immediately put into service unscheduled special trains."

Kapil Sibal Alleges Misuse of Trains

Earlier in the day, during a press conference, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal raised concerns about the purpose of certain train services running from Haryana to Bihar, questioning whether they carried genuine passengers or were part of an effort to influence the electoral process. https://x.com/KapilSibal/status/1987449043908432014?s=20

"The information we have indicates that on November 3, 2025, a train departed from Karnal at 10 a.m., passing through Panipat en route to Barauni, carrying 1,500 passengers. Another train left Karnal at 11 a.m. the same day via Patna to Bhagalpur, also carrying 1,500 passengers. A third train ran at 3 p.m. and a fourth at 4 p.m., both departing from Gurugram via Patna to Bhagalpur. Altogether, these four trains transported around 6,000 people. The question that arises is whether these were genuine voters from Haryana requiring special train services, or if they were sent specifically to vote in Bihar," Sibal said.

Migrant Voters and Election Context

Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor stated that migrant voters are generally regarded as the biggest assets of change, which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) represented previously. "They even started 12,000 trains, and there was talk of giving a 20% discount. But as soon as they talked with them, they (NDA) realised that the migrant labourers are looking for change," he said.

The first phase of the assembly elections in Bihar concluded peacefully on Thursday, with a record voter turnout of 64.66 per cent, the highest ever in the state's history. Polling for the second phase will commence on November 11, with 122 seats spread across 20 districts going to the polls. The counting of votes and the subsequent declaration of results will take place on November 14.

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