Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress leader said that when you do not ensure fair elections, when booth capturing or dishonesty takes place, and the Election Commission takes no action, that is vote theft. There was clear collusion with the ruling party, he told the media, reacting to the results of the Bihar elections 2025. File photo
Congress blames SIR for Bihar election debacle, says EC colluded with BJP
Senior leaders alleged EC "colluded" with ruling party, ignored cash distribution despite model code; failed to address deleted voters, calling it "vote theft"
As the results of the Bihar assembly elections 2025 show a clear lead for the BJP-JD(U) led National Democratic Alliance, the Congress is blaming the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for its dismal performance and accused the EC of "colluding" with ruling party in Bihar and turning a blind eye to cash and benefits doled out to voters despite the model code of conduct being in force.
As per current trends, the Congress is leading only in five seats in Bihar, while the BJP has steamed ahead in 81 seats, the JD(U) in 80 seats, the LJPRV in 22 seats, and the RJD in 33 seats, the CPI(ML)(L) in 6 seats, and HAMS in 4 seats.
NDA is way past the majority mark, leading in 200 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan is ahead only in 57 seats.
EC a mute spectator: Gehlot
Accusing the Election Commission of "colluding" with the ruling party in Bihar, senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Friday (November 14) claimed that cash and benefits, including Rs 10,000 to women, were distributed to voters despite the model code of conduct being in force in the then poll-bound state.
Talking to reporters in Jaipur, the former chief minister of Rajasthan termed the trends of the Bihar assembly election results “disappointing” and said pension payments and cash transfers continued unabated during the campaign period.
He said that during the assembly elections in Rajasthan in 2023, the distribution of mobile phones under a scheme and pension disbursements were immediately halted the moment the code came into effect. "In Bihar, the Election Commission remained a mute spectator. Why did it not stop this? It did not intervene at all," he alleged.
Also read: Bihar election results: NDA crosses 200-mark; BJP single-largest party
"When you do not ensure fair elections, when booth capturing or dishonesty takes place, and the Election Commission takes no action, that is vote theft. There was clear collusion with the ruling party," Gehlot said.
Vote theft
"When you do not ensure fair elections, when booth capturing or dishonesty takes place, and the Election Commission takes no action, that is vote theft. There was clear collusion with the ruling party," Gehlot said.
He claimed that the BJP had amassed money power, which posed a threat to democracy, adding that the country needs Congress and its ideology.
EC to blame, says Tagore
Reacting sharply to the results, Congress MP Manickam Tagore pointed a finger at the Election Commission in a post on X saying that when “65 lakh voters, mostly from the Opposition's voters are deleted, what do you expect on result day?"
“Democracy cannot survive if the playing field is tilted before the match even begins”, he added.
'CEC vs people of India'
Talking to the media, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera blamed the Bihar election 2025 results on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying that the initial trends in itself show that “Gyanesh Kumar appears to be succeeding against the people of Bihar”.
Also read: Bihar election results: BJP mocks Rahul's '95 defeats' as NDA sweeps
According to Khera, the fight is not between the BJP, Congress, RJD, and JDU but it is a direct fight between Gyanesh Kumar and the people of India.
Congress leader Udit Raj too claimed that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral polls carried out by the EC was the reason for the Congress debacle in the Bihar polls.
In an interview with ANI, Raj pointedly said SIR is leading.” I won't say that this victory is of the BJP-JD(U); this is a victory of the Election Commission, of SIR. After the voter list was sanitised, lakhs of discrepancies were pointed out, but the EC didn't respond to even one. When objections were being raised, 89 lakh objections were raised; still, the EC said that nobody is raising any complaint. When they stoop to this level of cheating, what can we say? This is murder of democracy..."