Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, launched a sharp attack on the Centre and the Election Commission of India on Wednesday. He alleged that the “Maharashtra model” of stealing elections is now being used in Bihar.
Addressing a large gathering during the ‘Chakka Jam’ protest in Patna, Gandhi said the Constitution grants every citizen the right to vote. “We have come to Bihar, where people have sacrificed their lives for the Constitution. Just like the Maharashtra elections were stolen, an attempt is being made to steal the Bihar elections,” he said.
‘Maharashtra model’ now becoming the ‘Bihar model’
Gandhi claimed the BJP and the Election Commission know the Opposition has understood their tactics. “They know we have seen through the Maharashtra model, so now they are using a Bihar model,” he said.
He added, “This is a way to snatch the votes of the poor, but they do not know that this is Bihar. The people here will never let this happen.”
Gandhi recalled how the INDIA Bloc won the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, but lost the Assembly elections held soon after. He said the data revealed serious discrepancies.
“One crore new voters joined between the two elections, increasing the voter count by 10 per cent,” Gandhi said. He alleged these voters were concentrated in BJP-favoured areas. “Thousands were registered at a single address, while poor voters’ names were removed,” he claimed.
He said the Election Commission refused to provide the voter list or videography footage. “We have not received the Maharashtra voter list to date, and the videography law was changed,” he said.
Gandhi’s remarks come amid a Bihar Bandh called by Congress, RJD, and Left parties. They are protesting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list ahead of Assembly polls in three months. The Opposition fears the SIR process could disenfranchise crores of poor and migrant voters. The NDA has dismissed these claims as political propaganda.
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