The Congress party is sharply criticizing the Election Commission (EC) following their poor performance in the Bihar assembly elections, the results of which were declared on Friday. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a decisive victory with 202 of the 243 seats, while Congress only managed to win 6 of the 61 seats it contested. This marks one of the party's worst performances in the state, a steep decline from the 19 seats they won in the 2020 elections.
Senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, met in Delhi to discuss the disappointing outcome. The party has called the results "questionable," alleging bias on the part of the Election Commission. KC Venugopal stated that the Bihar election result was "unbelievable" and promised to provide "concrete proof" of irregularities after a thorough data collection and analysis within one to two weeks. Ajay Maken also questioned the BJP's high strike rate, suggesting "something is amiss".
Rahul Gandhi echoed these sentiments, stating that the Bihar election was "unfair from the beginning". He assured that Congress would review its performance and continue to fight for the protection of the Constitution and democracy.
One specific point of contention raised by the Congress is an alleged discrepancy in voter data. The party claims that the Chief Election Commissioner initially stated the total number of electors as 7.42 crore in a press note on October 6, but a later press release from the Election Commission of India after the polling mentioned 7.45 crore. Congress is demanding clarification on how an additional three lakh electors were added during the election process.
The Election Commission responded to these allegations, clarifying that the initial figure of 7.42 crore was based on data available after the final publication of the electoral roll on September 30. The EC explained that election rules allow eligible citizens to apply for inclusion in the roll even after elections are announced, up to 10 days before the last date of filing nominations in each phase of voting. According to the EC, all valid applications received from October 1 until 10 days prior to the last date of nomination were verified, and eligible voters were added to ensure no qualified voter was deprived of the opportunity to vote. The EC stated that the revised figure of 7.45 crore was mentioned in its press release after polling to reflect these additions.
Despite these explanations, Congress remains unconvinced and continues to question the transparency and fairness of the electoral process. The party insists that the entire electioneering process was "completely questionable" and that the Election Commission was "totally one-sided". They are currently collecting data, including Form 17C and voter lists, to provide concrete evidence of their claims in the coming weeks. The Mahagathbandhan alliance partners also reportedly find the results difficult to believe.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, congratulated the people for reposing faith in democracy and the Election Commission by voting in record numbers. He criticized the Congress for lacking a positive vision for the country and warned its allies that the party is a liability. Modi believes the Bihar assembly win marks the beginning of a new era and promises faster progress for the state in the next five years.
