A day after the Bihar Assembly election results delivered a sweeping victory for the NDA, political tempers flared across states, with Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai alleging that the BJP and the Election Commission colluded to influence the poll outcome. Calling the results “surprising”, Rai claimed that lakhs of names were removed from the electoral rolls under the SIR mechanism, depriving people of their constitutional right to vote.
Congress alleges misuse of SIR process
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Rai said the alleged “collusion” between the BJP and the Election Commission must be exposed. He asserted that voters were struck off the rolls under the pretext of SIR—Special Summary Revision—resulting in mass disenfranchisement. “This is a direct attack on democracy,” Rai said, demanding a transparent inquiry into the removal of voter names.
His comments echoed similar concerns raised by several Opposition leaders, who have argued that the voter roll revisions ahead of polling were opaque and disproportionately affected constituencies where the Mahagathbandhan expected to perform well.
Opposition leaders voice concern over fairness of election
Earlier on Friday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also described the Bihar election as a test of democracy. Acknowledging the verdict, Kharge said the party would conduct a detailed review to understand its poor performance. He affirmed that the Congress “will continue to fight to save democracy” and thanked voters who supported the Mahagathbandhan despite the setback.
Rahul Gandhi, too, reacted strongly, stating that the election “was not fair from the very beginning”. He emphasised that the Congress and the INDIA bloc would examine the reasons for their defeat and work towards strengthening democratic safeguards.
Thackeray, Opposition question EC’s role
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray also criticised the Election Commission, alleging that its “SIR experiment” facilitated the removal of nearly 65 lakh voters from the rolls. Thackeray said the scale of deletion raised concerns about institutional credibility and called the poll body a “Selection Commission”. He argued that women voters were not swayed by welfare schemes, countering narratives attributing NDA’s victory to the Ladli Behna programme.
BJP credits governance and Modi’s leadership
While Opposition parties raised doubts about the electoral process, leaders within the NDA hailed the result as a mandate for stability and development. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa credited the sweeping victory to the BJP-NDA’s governance model. He asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the alliance’s focus on security and development earned public confidence.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh added that after the Bihar mandate, the BJP would channel its energy towards West Bengal, calling it the “next battleground”.
PM Modi targets Congress in post-victory remarks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing NDA workers, delivered a sharp critique of the Congress. He referred to the party as a “parasite party” and predicted internal divisions in the coming days. Modi claimed that his earlier warning of an RJD–Congress rift had already materialised after the results. He labelled Congress as “MMC — Muslim League-y, Maoist Congress”, a remark that prompted strong reactions from the Opposition.
Modi also linked Bihar’s verdict to future political landscapes, stating that “just as the Ganga flows from Bihar to Bengal,” the BJP’s momentum would now carry into the West Bengal Assembly elections next year. He ended his address amid chants of “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai,” thanking voters for their support during the 150th anniversary year of Vande Mataram.
Political tensions rise as parties prepare next moves
As political reactions intensify, the Election Commission has not responded to allegations regarding the SIR process. With the NDA preparing large-scale celebrations on 16 November and the Mahagathbandhan gearing up for internal reviews, Bihar’s election result has set off a national debate on voter rights, electoral transparency, and institutional trust.
For now, Ajay Rai’s allegations have added fuel to an already charged political atmosphere, ensuring that the discussion around the fairness of the Bihar election is far from over.