Key Points

A little over two months before the Election Commission announced the Bihar election schedule on Monday, October 6, the Opposition alliance of Mahagathbandhan, or Grand Alliance, was contemplating a poll boycott alleging deceit and fraud in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list.

However, the issue failed to gain any ground this time, with the alliance constituents concentrating more on negotiating a larger share of seats among the 243 Assembly constituencies in the state.

In an exclusive interview with IANS towards July end, when Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav was asked if there is any consideration of a boycott of the Bihar elections, he answered, “That option is certainly on the table.”

“If the BJP wants to contest elections based on a fake list, then just give them an extension and let them run the government. What's the point of holding elections if they're rigged? If the entire process is dishonest, then there's no meaning to democracy,” he had asserted in a conversation with IANS.

He also shared that the option will be discussed within the alliance, and they will also seek public opinion. Less than a month after the interview, he joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the much-touted “Voter Adhikar Yatra” that culminated on September 1.

And, days later, the RJD de facto chief himself launched a “Bihar Adhikar Yatra” covering districts where his party expects to strengthen itself. Some of his associates on the ground claimed that there was a feeling within that allegations over SIR were being seen as an issue raised primarily by the Congress, and that “Voter Adhikar Yatra” gave more exposure to Rahul Gandhi.

Though Tejashwi was the key face behind Mahagathbandhan, the “Yatra” against SIR was seen as projecting the Congress leader, they stated.

Many of the Mahagathbandhan allies also find the SIR issue of lesser importance compared to corruption or misgovernance charges against the Nitish Kumar-led government.

Incidentally, Prashant Kishor, the poll consultant-turned-politician, has been attacking the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and its constituents in the state on corruption and governance issues. He launched a series of journeys across the state, attempting as a public outreach, positioning himself and his Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) as an anti‑corruption crusader.

JSP’s campaigns included naming specific leaders and releasing documents and allegations tied to procurement, land deals, and appointments. Such public interventions appeared to have given him an edge, with early poll surveys predicting his influence in several pockets of Bihar, especially in its southern parts.

Many Opposition leaders find themselves ceding this ground to the new entrant. Thus, Tejashwi’s solo foray into constituencies that held some promise for his party was an attempt at feeling the pulse of the people while projecting him as a serious contender for the Chief Minister’s post, insist some of his followers.

Meanwhile, the Left constituents in Mahagathbandhan, though part of the “Voter Adhikar Yatra”, have been critical of the Congress’s performance in the 2020 Assembly elections. They point out that though India’s Grand Old Party was allotted 70 seats by the Opposition alliance that time, they managed to win only 19.

On the other hand, at the end of a hard bargaining, the three top Left parties were together given 29 seats, and they bagged 16. This time, the group of communist parties has claimed a larger share, laying their claim on several seats from the Congress kitty.

For Rahul Gandhi, it seems his party’s gambit for an edge against the ruling alliance, with allegations thrown at its purported collusion with the poll body, has lost steam. Some pre‑poll surveys showing a close contest between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan mostly emphasized anti‑incumbency, unemployment, and other governance issues. The voter roll controversy registers as a material issue but usually trails other concerns.

- IANS