As the Bihar Assembly elections approach, the political battleground is heating up, with the BJP and its NDA allies stepping up efforts to counter the growing momentum of Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra. The Congress leader’s outreach campaign, accompanied by RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, has been attracting substantial public turnout, prompting the ruling alliance to project a unified front.
Rahul Gandhi’s campaign has reignited his accusations of “vote chori” (vote theft), directly targeting the Election Commission and the BJP. His criticism has intensified the INDIA bloc’s opposition to the EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.
Internally, some BJP leaders have expressed unease over the SIR’s outcomes. One senior BJP figure in Bihar has been quoted saying in the media that the process may have inadvertently harmed the NDA’s voter base. “There are barely any families which are unruffled by the exercise. The SIR along with the Waqf amendment legislation… have consolidated the Muslim-Yadav base for the RJD and the Congress,” the leader said, pointing to growing anxiety within the party ranks.
Adding to the BJP’s discomfort is mounting criticism from Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor. In recent weeks, Kishor has publicly accused top BJP state leaders—Bihar president Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, and Health Minister Mangal Pandey—of misconduct.
Kishor’s charges range from fraudulent control of the Mata Gujri Medical College in Kishanganj (against Jaiswal), to forged educational credentials (against Choudhary), and a controversial ambulance purchase scam involving Pandey. He claimed the Health Ministry procured 466 ambulances at Rs 28 lakh each—allegedly higher than the price paid by other states.
The BJP has categorically dismissed these allegations, calling them “baseless.” Party strategists believe that any potential damage will be offset by a comprehensive campaign emphasizing the “clean and honest” image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. “A massive campaign by the united NDA… could negate any damages,” a source closely linked to the state unit, was quoted in media reports.
To shore up its position, the BJP has deployed senior national leaders with Bihar roots—such as Ravi Shankar Prasad, Shahnawaz Hussain, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjay Jaiswal, Guru Prakash, and Ajay Alok—to hold media briefings across all 38 districts. Additionally, 14 dedicated NDA teams have been mobilized to engage with voters in all 243 Assembly constituencies.
“These Vidhan Sabha sammelans would set the stage for showcasing the NDA’s united face,” said a party insider. “There have been specific instructions from the central leadership that all these meetings should have every NDA leader concerned in every constituency. There have to be flags of our allies at such meetings.”
Despite these countermeasures, some BJP members have admitted that the traction Rahul’s Yatra has gained caught them by surprise. “The Yatra has been a crowd-puller because we were lagging behind,” media reports quoted a BJP MP. “Despite having Modi ji and Nitish as the faces of our leadership, we may have lost some moral ground due to Kishor’s allegations… When our workers rake up Lalu Prasad’s ‘chara ghotala’ (fodder scam), people question us over ambulance scam.”
Another party functionary noted the INDIA bloc appears to be successfully consolidating traditional RJD-Congress support bases, especially among Muslims and Yadavs. “There are indications that some Dalit groups are also drawing closer to the INDIA bloc,” the leader added. They also expressed doubts that the SIR effectively removed only ineligible or migrant voters.
However, not all within the BJP agree that the Opposition has made serious gains. Sanjay Jaiswal, former state BJP chief, was quoted saying: “There have been two biggest vote thefts in Indian history – one was by Tejashwi’s father (Lalu Prasad)… The second one is when Rahul Gandhi’s great grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) got B R Ambedkar defeated by 14,000 votes (in Bombay North Central in the 1952 Lok Sabha polls). People don’t forget all these things.”
In a media report, Former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain also brushed aside suggestions that the Yatra was resonating with the public. “It’s not a concern for us. The crowd you see for Rahul Gandhi includes the ticket-seekers of the Congress and RJD. Common people have rejected them and it’s just a workers’ yatra,” he said. Referring to Gandhi’s visit to makhana farmers, Hussain added: “When Rahul does gimmicks… he should realise that they are aware of what Modi ji has done for them.”
Hussain further argued that uncertainty within the INDIA bloc over leadership in Bihar could hurt its chances. “When Rahul was asked whether Tejashwi was their CM candidate in the Bihar polls, he ducked those questions. So, RJD supporters feel that the Yatra is just meant for enhancing Rahul Gandhi’s stature,” he was quoted.
With months to go before the elections, both camps are ramping up their campaigns—but while the NDA leans on established leadership and organizational might, the INDIA bloc appears to be gaining energy on the ground. The outcome may ultimately depend on which narrative resonates more with voters.
Also Read: Gujarat, The Start Of BJP’s Vote-Rigging, Claims Rahul Gandhi https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-the-start-of-bjps-vote-rigging-claims-rahul-gandhi/
