In a dramatic escalation of political rhetoric, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday outright rejected the mandate of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, alleging a "Venezuela-type electoral fraud" had robbed the opposition INDIA bloc of victory. This accusation comes nearly two months after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a historic win, limiting the opposition to just 41 seats in the 243-member house.
RJD's Scathing Attack on Electoral Process
Addressing journalists in Patna, RJD's chief spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav declared that his party does not accept the poll results. He termed the NDA's victory as a "victory of machinery" rather than a triumph of democracy. Yadav warned that if immediate corrective measures are not taken, the democratic fabric of the nation would face grave danger.
"The constitutional bodies are facing existential threats and efforts are on to control them," Yadav told reporters. He drew a controversial parallel, stating, "Similar things happened in Venezuela, and we strongly condemn the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US force." He added that while Indian democracy is deep-rooted, no one should cast an evil eye on it.
JD(U) Fires Back, Mocks RJD Stance
The ruling Janata Dal (United) reacted sharply to the RJD's allegations. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar mocked the comparison between Indian and Venezuelan democracy. "Should we learn from Venezuela now?" he questioned.
Kumar also targeted RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, questioning his decision to accept the post of Leader of Opposition if the mandate was indeed fraudulent. "If the Bihar mandate was fraudulent, then why did Tejashwi accept the post of LoP in the House? Why did he not oppose it and resign from the post?" Kumar asked, highlighting a perceived contradiction in the RJD's position.
Demand for Ballot Papers and Allegations of Vote Mismatch
Central to the RJD's allegations is its demand to revert to the ballot paper system. Shakti Singh Yadav claimed that the NDA would "badly lose" if elections were conducted using ballot papers. He called for an immediate halt to elections using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), calling them unsafe.
Yadav presented a numerical argument to bolster his fraud claim. He stated that the opposition INDIA bloc secured over 1.90 crore votes but still mysteriously lost the elections. "We don't accept the mandate as we did not lose the elections... Loktantra hara hai, machinery aur Chunao Aayog jeeta hai (Democracy lost but machinery and Election Commission won)," he alleged.
He further claimed that internal assessments based on ballot paper counting patterns showed the opposition leading on 143 seats, a stark contrast to the final result.
Future Course: Tejashwi's Statewide Yatra
Undeterred by the electoral setback, the RJD is planning a major outreach program. Yadav announced that Tejashwi Yadav, who returned from a long foreign trip on Sunday night, will embark on a statewide yatra after January 14. "We are chalking out plans for his yatra. We can't be a mute spectator to the issues of people's concern. We will ultimately emerge victorious," he asserted, signaling that the party intends to take its grievances directly to the public.
The RJD's vehement rejection of the results and its serious allegations against the electoral process mark a significant hardening of the opposition's stance, setting the stage for a prolonged and contentious political battle in Bihar.
