Patna (Bihar) [India], October 23 (ANI): Launching a blistering attack on the Bihar government, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and Raghopur MLA Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Friday accused the state administration of blatant bias in favour of ruling party candidates during the Bihar Legislative Council (MLC) elections, alleging that they orchestrated "vote theft" through bogus voting.
Speaking to reporters, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader alleged that official administrative machinery was being misused to manipulate the electoral outcome, but maintained that the ruling alliance's designs would fall flat.
"You are continuously seeing that the administration is working in favour of the ruling party's candidates, and these people are vote thieves; they orchestrate vote theft. They cast fake votes, but this time their tactics won't work; their lentils won't cook," Tejashwi said.
Exuding confidence in an opposition clean sweep, the Raghopur MLA stated that voters had rejected the ruling dispensation.
"We are winning all our seats. We are continuously monitoring the situation across polling centres, and a lot of positive feedback is coming in from the ground," he asserted.
Tejashwi's remarks come as voting wrapped up across several key Bihar Legislative Council constituencies—including the Patna, Tirhut, Darbhanga, and Kosi Graduate seats, alongside the Patna, Saran, Tirhut, and Darbhanga Teachers' constituencies—with the counting of votes slated for October 27.
Earlier in the day, RJD MLC candidate for the Patna Teachers' constituency Sanjeev Kumar Singh also accused the government of attempting to influence the election by sending police to his residence, alleging that the police wanted to conduct a search without a warrant.
He said there were no allegations or pending criminal cases against him and described the police action as an attempt to intimidate a candidate during the election.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "I am deeply distressed. This is a shameful incident—targeting a candidate against whom there are no allegations, nor any pending criminal cases. By entering his home and causing a disturbance, they are attempting to influence the election. This is the first time such a thing has happened in the country. Elections are being held in eight locations—including Patna and across Bihar—for the Legislative Council (MLC), as well as in other parts of the country. Yet, this is the only instance in the entire nation where the police have raided the residence of a candidate. I am a doctor by profession and have also served as an MLA. Ever since I left the JD(U) and joined the RJD, they have been troubled. My growing popularity has shaken the entire government, and they are desperate to influence my election in any way they can.”
Polling for biennial Legislative Council elections concluded in Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh following the completion of the terms of sitting members in the respective constituencies.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the terms of eight members in Bihar, four in Karnataka, five in Maharashtra and 11 in Uttar Pradesh are ending, resulting in vacancies.
In Bihar, the tenures of the sitting members of the eight constituencies will expire on November 16.
Polling began at 8 am and continued until 4 pm on Friday. Counting of votes is scheduled for October 27, while the entire election process is to be completed by October 31. (ANI)
"Orchestrating vote theft": Tejashwi Yadav accuses Bihar govt of bias in MLC polls
