The Bihar election landscape is shaping up, with the key issues already taking center stage despite the lack of an official election schedule. The India coalition, composed of the Congress and RJD, has leveled accusations of vote theft against the Election Commission and the BJP, focusing on alleged irregularities within the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists and the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP, in turn, has responded by accusing the opposition of safeguarding infiltrators, highlighting voter roll discrepancies, and targeting opposition figures, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have been highly critical of the Election Commission since the Haryana and Madhya Pradesh elections, alleging collusion between the commission and the BJP to manipulate results. The Congress has raised concerns about EVM tampering and the commission’s handling of the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The India coalition has opposed the SIR in Bihar, staging a large-scale protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission. During a press conference, Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of fraudulent practices in the Mahadevpura Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka, which drew a strong response from the commission.
The opposition is making vote theft a key issue, with Tejashwi Yadav accusing BJP leaders of spreading misinformation. He challenged the BJP to present concrete evidence of any infiltrators removed or identified through the SIR.
The Congress is running a social media campaign against vote theft on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, targeting both the Election Commission and the ruling BJP and Modi government.
Rahul Gandhi is planning a 16-day ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ in Bihar, covering around 1300 kilometers, and it will include key opposition figures. The Congress is framing this as a battle for democracy and constitutional rights, making it a central issue for the Bihar elections.
The BJP has responded to the accusations of vote theft with a counter-offensive. Amit Shah has accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to protect Bangladeshi infiltrators by opposing the SIR of voter lists and has stated that those not born in India have no right to vote.
During his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the issue of infiltration and announced a demographic mission. He highlighted the alleged threat of infiltrators, claiming they are harming the livelihoods of the youth and targeting women, and exploiting tribal communities. The Prime Minister has stated that this will not be tolerated.
The BJP is also reviewing the election records of opposition leaders, making similar accusations. The party’s aim is to defend the Election Commission and accuse the Congress and its allies of being involved in ‘vote theft’.
The BJP’s response has become increasingly aggressive. Senior ministers have directly targeted Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of misrepresenting data from the Election Commission, pointing to discrepancies in the Maharashtra voter list. The BJP claims the Congress tries to discredit the system after electoral defeats.
The BJP is also targeting the Gandhi family, with the IT cell chief highlighting historical data that suggests Sonia Gandhi was registered as a voter before becoming a citizen.
BJP leaders, such as Dharmendra Pradhan, have accused the Congress of vote bank politics, and of attempting to include infiltrators in voter lists. They claim that the opposition attempts to undermine the Election Commission when results are unfavorable.
Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur has highlighted alleged irregularities in voter registration in several high-profile constituencies represented by opposition figures. He asserts that these constituencies were won through ‘vote theft’ and fraudulent practices, creating concerns about electoral integrity, and potentially affecting voter confidence.