Overcrowded Trains, Endless Delays: Bihari Migrants’ Fury Over Festive Chaos Signals Electoral Backlash
As lakhs rush home for Chhath Puja amid ticket shortages and packed specials, voices from the tracks vow to punish the ruling NDA at the polls—will this groundswell of frustration tip the scales in Bihar’s upcoming assembly battle?
New Delhi, October 26, 2025 – The platforms of New Delhi Railway Station echo with Chhath folk songs and the weary sighs of Bihari migrants, but beneath the festive veneer lies a simmering rage. Long queues, unreserved seats, and trains running hours late have turned the journey home into a grueling ordeal for thousands heading to Bihar for the sacred Chhath Puja. With assembly elections slated for November 6 and 11, these harried travelers are not just enduring the discomfort—they’re channeling it into vows of electoral retribution against the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.
For many like Rakesh Sony, a resident of Hajipur working in Rajasthan’s Neemrana, the trip to Patna is a stark reminder of broken promises. “No tickets anywhere. We’re traveling without reservations because the government talks big but delivers nothing. If there’s no seat, where do we sit? I’m from Bihar, heading home for Chhath—and I’ll cast my vote there too. This time, we’ll make Tejashwi Yadav win,” Rakesh declared, perched precariously near the door of a general compartment in special train 04404. After 18 months away, he’s taken 25 days off, only to face the indignity of a floor-squatting journey.
The scene at New Delhi station on October 24 was chaotic yet organized on the surface. Tents and holding areas have been erected outside platforms to accommodate the surge, with volunteers announcing train arrivals via microphones. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel guide passengers, separating reserved and unreserved entries to prevent repeats of February’s tragic stampede that claimed 18 lives. Over 315 CCTV cameras feed into a mini control room, monitoring the frenzy. Yet, for all the preparations, the core issue persists: overwhelming demand outstrips supply.
Rakesh’s train, which departed Shakurbasti on October 23, arrived in Patna over two-and-a-half hours late the next day. Similar tales abound. Special train 04060 from Anand Vihar to Jaynagar (Madhubani) took a punishing 33 hours—departing at 9 AM on October 23 and crawling in at 6 PM the following evening, a delay of over 10 hours. Train 04450 to Darbhanga, meant to arrive by 4:30 PM on October 24, limped in around 11 PM, nearly seven hours behind schedule. Data from the past week shows these specials averaging 3-8 hours late, turning what should be overnight hauls into multi-day marathons.
Pramod Kumar, a crane operator from Bihar’s Kaimur district who’s labored in Delhi for a decade, captured the desperation. “I tried every train for a seat. The tents and pandals are there, but inside, it’s like being herded like sheep and goats—crushed, barely breathing. I stood in line for four hours.” His voice hardened on the elections: “Voting is on November 11 in my area. I’ll return only after casting my ballot. It feels like the government will change this time. They dangle promises of jobs and handouts, killing people with false hopes. For festivals, they run specials, but look at this misery. I’m voting to oust them.”
Pramod’s lament underscores a deeper malaise: Bihar’s triad of hunger, poverty, and unemployment forcing millions to migrate. “Nothing’s available back home, so we come to Delhi for work,” he added, echoing a sentiment shared by countless others.
Not all voices are uniformly opposed, though frustration cuts across lines. Gaurav Kumar from Muzaffarpur, squatting on the train floor after his confirmed ticket evaporated, offered a measured critique. “I booked tickets, but nothing confirmed—not even Tatkal. Specials give no notice. Chhath demands we go, so I’ll sit like this.” On the polls: “BJP might form the government, but they need to fix facilities. Tejashwi promises jobs, but he can’t deliver to everyone. In Bihar now, it’s BJP or Jan Suraj. Nitish Kumar has done a lot, but these train issues must be addressed. The Rail Minister praises setups, but see this crowd—it’s unbearable.”
Even younger migrants like 21-year-old Prince from Gopalganj, working in Rajasthan, blend resignation with resolve. After two failed reservations, he quipped, “If no seat, I’ll stand all the way to Patna.” Pleased with station amenities, he still sees the journey as a litmus test for governance.
Railway authorities claim robust measures: from October 1 to November 30, over 12,000 “special train trips” are operational nationwide—2,220 for Bihar alone, surpassing last year’s 7,724. Delhi stations saw 30 specials each on October 23 and 24, backed by 2,100 RPF jawans, 500 rail staff for guidance, and dedicated platforms for eastern routes to minimize stair use. Northern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay emphasized separate entry-exit points and holding areas to avert stampedes.
A senior railway official, speaking anonymously, poured cold water on the numbers. “The 12,000 figure counts round trips, so actual trains are around 6,000—about 100 specials daily across India. It’s repackaged to inflate stats. In a vast country, that’s a drop in the bucket.” He highlighted poor outreach: promotions are mostly on social media, inaccessible to laborers who stick to familiar routes. Regular trains thus bear the brunt, exacerbated by delays.
Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s October 19 and 21 social media videos—showing him at New Delhi station, interacting with passengers who praised facilities—contrast sharply with viral clips of shoving crowds and overflowing coaches. Over a crore passengers have boarded specials so far, but the optics of discomfort dominate.
The political ripple is unmistakable. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in an October 25 video post, lambasted the NDA: “Where are the 12,000 special trains? Why do conditions worsen yearly? Why are Biharis forced into this humiliation annually? If Bihar offered jobs and dignity, they wouldn’t wander thousands of kilometers.” RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav echoed: “In 20 years of NDA rule, Biharis endure migration’s agony. Even for Chhath, they can’t run proper trains. My Bihari kin suffer inhumanely—how shameful.”
As Chhath’s sun rises over Bihar’s ghats, these rail-side testimonies suggest the festival’s spirit of devotion may fuel a different kind of resolve: a ballot-box uprising. With migrants like Rakesh, Promod, and Gaurav set to vote before returning to distant labors, the NDA’s festive firefighting could prove a costly misstep. For now, the tracks to Bihar carry not just families, but the weight of unmet expectations—and potential regime change.
