New Delhi, August 13 (HS): In a blistering counterattack ahead of the Bihar elections, BJP MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making false allegations against the Election Commission to pre-empt his party’s “likely defeat.” Addressing the media at the BJP headquarters, Thakur charged that under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the Congress had lost “a record 90 elections,” sparking doubts within his own party about his leadership credentials.

Thakur alleged that whenever faced with electoral setbacks, Rahul Gandhi resorts to blaming EVMs, voters, or constitutional institutions, instead of introspecting. He went further, citing the 1952 general elections, when Congress and the CPI allegedly conspired to defeat Dr. B.R. Ambedkar — discarding over 74,000 votes despite his losing margin being just 14,561. “From the very first election, the Congress laid the foundation of electoral corruption,” Thakur claimed.

Drawing on history, Thakur recalled former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s dismissal of voters as a “bunch of fools” and Rajiv Gandhi’s criticism of ballot papers after losing an election. He mocked the contradictions in the Gandhi family’s stance on voting systems — from Rajiv Gandhi endorsing EVMs, to Rahul Gandhi now demanding a return to ballot papers.

Responding to Rahul’s claim that there was a suspicious surge in votes cast after 5 PM, Thakur cited official data that disproved it — noting that the post-5 PM voting rate was actually lower than earlier in the day. He also refuted allegations of abnormal voter registration growth, pointing out that higher growth rates were recorded in 2004 and 2009 when Congress was in power.

“This is nothing more than a political narrative built out of fear of losing Bihar,” Thakur said, accusing the Congress of “habitually undermining” the Election Commission and democratic processes whenever electoral fortunes turn against it.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar