Rahul, Kharge review Bihar election rout as Congress doubles down on ‘vote chori’ claim

A day after suffering a heavy defeat in Bihar, the Congress on Saturday (November 15) questioned the Election Commission’s conduct of the polls, even as Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge held a closed-door meeting to assess the outcome.

Also read | What went horribly wrong for Rahul-Tejashwi in Bihar? | Talking Sense With Srini

Kharge and Rahul were joined by AICC general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, party treasurer Ajay Maken and AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru.

Congress takes stock of Bihar setback

According to a PTI report citing party insiders, the leaders met to review the Congress’s poor performance, with the party winning only six of the 61 seats it contested.

In 2020, the Congress had contested 70 seats and won 19. This time, senior leaders such as state chief Rajesh Kumar, CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan and former CLP leader Ajit Sharma also lost their seats.

Rahul made no public remarks after the meeting, as the Mahagathbandhan leadership remained stunned by the NDA’s sweeping victory.

Venugopal questions EC’s neutrality

Asked about the loss, Venugopal blamed the Election Commission, alleging that the electoral process lacked transparency. He said the party was gathering data from across the state and would present evidence to substantiate its concerns.

“This result is unbelievable for all of us. The people of Bihar, our alliance partners, no one can make sense of it,” he said, noting that such a high strike rate for one party was unprecedented.

Congress calls poll process 'one-sided'

Venugopal reiterated that the party had repeatedly flagged concerns during the campaign. “The Election Commission is completely one-sided. There is no transparency in what they are doing, and that makes the entire process questionable,” he said.

He added that the party had raised similar concerns during the Haryana elections and would soon present detailed findings on Bihar as well.

Rahul says Bihar verdict 'shocking'

Earlier, Rahul on Friday said he was “shocked” by the Bihar verdict and insisted the election had not been conducted fairly.

Also read | Why a 15-lakh vote edge over BJP couldn’t help Tejashwi’s RJD win Bihar elections

In a social media post, he thanked voters for supporting the Grand Alliance, saying, “We failed to win an election that was not fair from the start. This fight is to protect the Constitution and democracy.”

Kharge said the party would undertake a thorough analysis of the results. The Congress has also alleged that the mandate reflected “vote chori on a gigantic scale, masterminded by the PM, the HM and the Election Commission.”

Rahul’s Bihar campaign had centred on his “vote chori” (vote theft) charge against the BJP.