The allegations have sparked a strong reaction from the Centre, with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju holding a press conference

Bihar is all set to go to the polls tomorrow in the first phase of the Assembly elections, covering 121 constituencies across 18 districts, amid fresh “vote chori” (vote theft) allegations by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

The Leader of Opposition launched sharp attacks on the Central government and the Election Commission of India, accusing them of “vote chori” in Haryana and alleging that similar tactics would be used to influence the Bihar polls.

The allegations have sparked a strong reaction from the Centre, with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju holding a press conference to reject Gandhi’s claims.

“Rahul Gandhi is holding press conferences to hide his failures,” Rijiju said. “Voting in Bihar is still two days away, yet today he was talking about Haryana. This clearly shows there are no real issues left in Bihar, so the Haryana issue is being fabricated to divert attention.”

Rijiju further said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) claimed that Congress had won according to exit polls in Haryana. Even during the 2004 elections, exit and opinion polls predicted a BJP-NDA victory, but when the results came, the NDA lost. We accepted the people’s verdict and congratulated the UPA, we did not abuse the Election Commission.”

“In a democracy, one has to accept both victory and defeat. When exit polls favour Congress, he applauds them, but when they don’t, he attacks the media,” Rijiju remarked.

Criticizing Gandhi for not following due process, Rijiju added, “After voting, if there’s any discrepancy, you can file a petition or appeal with the Election Commission. If you still feel justice hasn’t been served, you can approach the courts. But instead of doing that, they hold press conferences, make presentations, and then walk away. Will democracy work like this?”

“Questioning the Election Commission, our democratic system, and the credibility of institutions means you’re targeting the country itself,” Rijiju said.

Polling in the remaining phase of the Bihar Assembly elections will be held later this month, with counting scheduled for the 14th of November.

(For more news apart from “Bihar Goes to First Phase of Polling Tomorrow Amid RaGa’s ‘Vote Chori’ Allegations; Centre Hits Back," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)