By Rahi Bhide
The Bihar Assembly elections have not yet been officially declared. Yet, the political atmosphere is already charged with acrimony, with the ruling BJP and the INDIA alliance trading accusations on a familiar theme vote theft. The contours of the upcoming contest are becoming visible, and unfortunately, they reveal little space for the issues of employment, poverty, education, and development that should concern ordinary citizens. Instead, allegations of voter list manipulation and illegal infiltration are set to dominate the campaign, pushing governance related questions to the margins.
A Recurring Theme in Indian Politics
The politics of voter list discrepancies is not new. In fact, both the Congress and the BJP have, at different times, accused each other of manipulating the electoral process. Congress leaders have consistently alleged that the Election Commission operates under BJP pressure, citing alleged tampering with electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra elections. In Maharashtra, Congress went so far as to accuse the Commission of “match fixing.”
The latest flashpoint emerged after the Election Commission announced a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists ahead of the Bihar polls. Opposition parties immediately objected, alleging that the process could be used to disenfranchise legitimate voters while including infiltrators. In Parliament, and even outside its doors, INDIA bloc MPs staged demonstrations, marching towards the Election Commission’s offices.
Rahul Gandhi intensified the attack by alleging outright theft of votes in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency claiming one lakh votes had been stolen. This was perhaps the first time a direct accusation of “vote theft” was hurled at the Election Commission itself. The Commission reacted sharply, issuing a notice to Rahul, but the damage was done: the opposition had successfully made “vote theft” a rallying cry.
The BJP’s Counteroffensive
The ruling party has not been on the defensive. Instead, it has crafted a counter narrative: that the opposition is shielding infiltrators and encouraging demographic manipulation. Amit Shah, in a speech at Sitamarhi, accused Rahul Gandhi of protecting Bangladeshi infiltrators under the guise of opposing SIR. He declared that only those born in India had the constitutional right to vote, framing the issue as one of sovereignty and national security.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, lent further weight to this theme. Without naming political opponents, he warned of a “planned conspiracy” to change India’s demography. He linked infiltrators to crime, exploitation of tribal communities, and threats to women’s safety, painting them as a multifaceted menace to society. This strategic framing allows the BJP to connect voter list disputes to a larger narrative of national integrity and cultural survival.
Social Media: A Parallel Battleground
Alongside speeches and rallies, social media has become a critical front. Congress has mounted campaigns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, portraying the BJP and the Election Commission as conspirators against democracy. Hashtags around “vote theft” have trended repeatedly, giving the issue visibility beyond Bihar.
The BJP’s IT cell, however, has countered aggressively, digging into historical records. Leaders have resurfaced allegations that Sonia Gandhi was registered as a voter even before becoming an Indian citizen. This blending of past controversies with present accusations is aimed at keeping the opposition on the defensive.
Personal Attacks and High-Profile Constituencies
The fight has also turned personal. BJP leaders have targeted high-profile constituencies held by opposition leaders, alleging irregularities in their voter rolls. From Sonia Gandhi’s Raebareli and Priyanka Gandhi’s Wayanad to Abhishek Banerjee’s Diamond Harbour and Akhilesh Yadav’s Kannauj, BJP leaders have accused these leaders of benefiting from inflated or manipulated lists. Even Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s Kolathur constituency was not spared.
Such personalized accusations serve a dual purpose: they discredit opposition leaders individually while reinforcing the broader charge of systemic malpractice.
Institutions Under Fire
Caught in the crossfire is the Election Commission itself. Once regarded as one of India’s most respected constitutional bodies, the Commission now finds its impartiality repeatedly questioned. The opposition paints it as an agent of the ruling party, while the BJP accuses it of being unfairly maligned by those unwilling to accept electoral defeat.
The judiciary has also come under indirect fire. BJP leaders remind voters that the opposition has cast doubts not just on the Election Commission but also on the Supreme Court, the armed forces, and even India’s military operations against neighboring states. This, they argue, reveals a consistent pattern of undermining institutions whenever political interests are at stake.
Risks to Democratic Confidence
This cycle of accusation and counter accusation carries grave risks. When both ruling and opposition parties persistently allege electoral fraud, the credibility of the democratic process itself comes under question. Ordinary voters may begin to wonder whether their ballots truly count, or whether outcomes are predetermined by manipulation. Such erosion of trust could depress turnout, distort mandates, and weaken the very foundations of India’s representative democracy.
Moreover, focusing obsessively on infiltration and vote theft sidelines pressing concerns. Bihar, like much of India, faces deep challenges: unemployment, agricultural distress, weak healthcare infrastructure, and poor educational outcomes. Yet these issues find little mention in political discourse, drowned out by the din of accusations.
The Road Ahead
Rahul Gandhi’s 16-day “Voter Rights Yatra,” spanning 1,300 kilometers across Bihar, is designed to project the opposition as defenders of democracy. Tejashwi Yadav and leftist allies have joined hands, seeking to mobilize grassroots anger. On the other side, the BJP is mobilizing its leaders to hammer home the theme of infiltration as a national security threat.
As the Bihar polls draw closer, one thing is clear: the election will be less about development and governance, and more about which narrative of electoral integrity voters find more credible. Will they believe the opposition’s charge that democracy is under siege from a partisan Election Commission? Or will they align with the BJP’s warning that infiltrators are stealing their future through the ballot box?
The answer may well shape not just Bihar’s future, but the credibility of India’s electoral system itself. If elections are repeatedly reduced to battles over the sanctity of voter lists, with both sides claiming fraud in advance, the very idea of free and fair elections risks becoming a casualty.
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