Patna, June 7 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has once again accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of electoral malpractice, claiming that the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections “could be fixed, just like the Maharashtra polls last year”.

The Congress MP’s statement has triggered a flurry of sharp reactions from leaders across the NDA, including the BJP and JD-U in Bihar.

Reacting strongly to the allegation, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said that Rahul Gandhi’s comments reflect his pre-emptive acceptance of defeat.

“It is natural for a person who has consistently lost to make such statements. If someone does not trust the democratic system, he should resign and leave it,” Choudhary said, underscoring that elections in India are conducted under a robust and impartial framework.

“He holds a good record of continuous defeat. His statement reflects deep frustration at not being able to digest the country’s progress,” Choudhary said.

Adding to the criticism, Union Minister Lalan Singh (JD-U) questioned Rahul Gandhi’s ‘political consistency’, stating: “When his party wins in Telangana or Karnataka, then the election is fair. But when Congress loses, it becomes match-fixing. This clearly shows his double standards.”

Earlier, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also expressed a similar view and said Rahul Gandhi has accepted defeat.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi’s latest allegations came just months ahead of the high-stakes Bihar Assembly elections.

His reference to the post-poll developments in Maharashtra — where the government formation process faced accusations of manipulation and political engineering — has reignited the debate over electoral fairness.

However, NDA leaders argue that such statements are part of a narrative built to delegitimise institutions and distract from the Congress party’s repeated electoral setbacks.

Political analysts believe that with campaigning intensifying, these war of words between the Opposition and ruling alliance signals a fiercely contested election season in Bihar.

–IANS

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