Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday of preparing to “steal” the ongoing Bihar assembly elections in the same manner it allegedly did during last year’s Haryana polls. Speaking at consecutive rallies in the Sitamarhi and East Champaran districts, she claimed the Election Commission of India (ECI) was actively colluding with the ruling dispensation to manipulate voter lists and undermine democratic processes.

Gandhi alleged that approximately 65 lakh voters—predominantly from marginalised communities, including the poor, Dalits, backward classes, and minorities—had been systematically deleted from Bihar’s electoral rolls since the election schedule was announced. “If these elections are allowed to remain free and fair, the NDA will be uprooted from Bihar,” she declared to thousands of supporters in Govindganj and other venues, warning that the deletions were a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise traditional INDIA bloc voters ahead of the remaining polling phases.

The Congress leader drew parallels with the October 2024 Haryana assembly elections, where her party had initially appeared headed for victory based on exit polls but ultimately lost to the BJP by a narrow margin amid complaints of irregularities. She accused the ECI of functioning as an extension of the ruling government rather than an independent constitutional body, claiming the ongoing voter-list revisions violated Supreme Court guidelines that prohibit large-scale deletions after the poll schedule is notified.

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With Bihar voting in three phases concluding on November 20 and counting scheduled for November 23, Gandhi urged voters to remain vigilant and turn out in record numbers to protect their constitutional rights. The Election Commission has defended the revisions as routine cleaning of duplicate and deceased entries, while the BJP dismissed the allegations as baseless fear-mongering by a desperate opposition. The high-decibel charges have intensified the already charged atmosphere in one of India’s most fiercely contested state elections.

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