What happens in Bihar if Congress’ ‘vote chori’ claims prove true? | EXPLAINED

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has, on two occasions, made detailed presentations alleging that “systematic vote chori” (vote theft) enabled the BJP to secure victories in Maharashtra and Haryana.

The question now arises: what would happen in Bihar if these claims hold true? Would the NDA once again sweep the polls, as it did in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, apart from Haryana?

A senior Congress leader said:

"The recent presentation of Rahul Gandhi has shown everything with proof. So we believe that when the entire Haryana state was stolen from Congress even when everybody on ground and almost all exit polls were showing a sweeping victory for Congress. Why will they hesitate and not do vote chori in Bihar when they have been able to create an air that they will sweep the elections despite anti-incumbency? I think they will not hesitate."

Moreover, since institutional control in Bihar largely rests with the ruling NDA, which also holds power at the Centre, the officials overseeing the election process could—at various levels—be accountable to governments in power, apart from the Election Commission of India (ECI). 

Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on bulk voting suggest that it was done in a planned way. He also claimed that Opposition booth agents might find it difficult to detect double voting, since individuals could move from one booth to another to cast multiple ballots.

In a recent press conference, Gandhi claimed that the NDA’s manipulation was so extensive, that if the results once again favoured the ruling alliance, the Congress would 100 per cent be able to “present proof” of how the elections were rigged in Bihar.

The Congress has faced surprise defeats in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, where the party was expecting a clear victory. In the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the results of earlier Lok Sabha elections depicted a pro-Opposition sentiment, where the Congress-led INDIA alliance had scored more than 30 Lok Sabha seats out of the state's 48.

This means the Opposition was ahead in more than 60 per cent of Lok Sabha seats, assuring the Opposition leaders that the people would vote in the same way. 

On top of that, the unexpected addition of more than 40 lakh voters in just a few months—from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to the Assembly elections in November 2024—led the Opposition to cast stronger aspersions on the EC, as the comparative data between the 2019 elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections showed a voter addition of only 32 lakh voters.

In Madhya Pradesh too, the primary Opposition party, Congress, was expecting to sweep the elections, but the results were a shocker, as it was the BJP that swept the elections. 

After the back-to-back losses in states where Congress was preparing to form governments, the cadre enthusiasm of the rank and file within the party had subsequently gone down due to the idea that there was no way now that the Congress could win elections.

Yet, the Voter Adhikar Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi in Bihar picked up momentum not only for the Congress, but for the Mahagathbandhan in general.

Political analysts, therefore, expect a closely contested battle between the two blocs. While women voters appear more inclined towards the NDA, younger voters seem to be leaning towards the Mahagathbandhan.

Observers believe that with the EC’s functioning under scrutiny, the BJP is likely to tread cautiously this time.

The result may not be a sweeping victory as seen in other states, but whether the NDA will repeat a win or whether the grand alliance will push at the margins and narrow down the gap remains to be seen.

India