Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Jul 10: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the ruling BJP-led NDA of attempting to rig the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections using a strategy similar to what he described as the “Maharashtra model” — a manipulation of electoral rolls to favour the BJP.

Speaking at a protest rally organised by the INDIA bloc outside the Election Commission office in Patna, Gandhi said, “What happened in Maharashtra was electoral fraud to benefit the BJP. Now, they’re planning the same in Bihar. We will not let them steal the people’s vote or future.”

He criticised the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in Bihar, calling it a systematic attempt to disenfranchise voters, particularly the youth. “This is not just about removing names. It’s about hijacking democracy. The EC is now functioning under BJP’s instructions,” he claimed, while waving a red-bound copy of the Constitution, a gesture that has become symbolic of his recent public appearances.

Gandhi accused the Election Commission of losing its independence, saying its members are now handpicked by the BJP, with the selection process excluding key constitutional figures like the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition.

He alleged that in Maharashtra, thousands of fake voters were registered at the same address and that the EC had refused to share voter data when opposition parties raised concerns. “The EC is speaking the language of BJP-RSS, not the Constitution. They exist to serve democracy, not a party,” he said.

The protest march saw participation from INDIA bloc leaders including RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, CPI’s D Raja, CPI-M’s M A Baby, and CPI-ML’s Dipankar Bhattacharya.

Tejashwi Yadav echoed Gandhi’s concerns, accusing the Election Commission of becoming a “puppet” of the ruling party. “They’ll first delete names from the voter list, then snatch your ration and pensions. But Bihar won’t be silent. We’ll fight this injustice,” he declared.

Dipankar Bhattacharya labelled the ongoing roll revision as “votebandi”, claiming the EC was making it too difficult for ordinary people to prove their eligibility. “If your name wasn’t on the 2003 list, you now have to prove citizenship. It’s exclusion by design,” he said.

The opposition has warned that the timing of the SIR — just months before the elections — and the high evidentiary burden placed on voters, especially in marginalised communities, could result in large-scale deletions from the rolls.

The BJP, on the other hand, has argued that the revision is necessary to remove “illegal immigrants” allegedly included in previous lists through vote-bank politics.

With Bihar heading to polls later this year, tensions are mounting between the opposition and the ruling alliance over the fairness and integrity of the electoral process.