‘Election Not Fair From Start’: Rahul Gandhi Calls NDA’s Landslide Win In Bihar A ‘Surprise’ | India News

Congress leader and LoP in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi (IMAGE: PTI)

In his first response to the National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping victory in Bihar, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi declared that the Assembly election “was not fair from the beginning”. 

Rahul Gandhi has also called on Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge after the party’s poll debacle in Bihar.

His remarks came after trends confirmed a decisive win for the ruling alliance, which secured 202 seats in the 243-member House, leaving the Mahagathbandhan trailing at under 40.

Posting on X on Friday, Gandhi thanked the voters who supported the opposition bloc but suggested that the overall outcome raised troubling questions. Without directly repeating his earlier allegation of “vote theft”, an issue on which he had undertaken a Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, he said the result was unexpected. “This result in Bihar is truly surprising. We could not achieve victory in an election that was not fair from the very beginning,” he wrote.

Gandhi stressed that the larger struggle was for “the protection of the Constitution and democracy”, adding that both the Congress and the INDIA alliance would conduct a detailed review of the setback and strengthen efforts to “save democracy”.

Mahagathbandhan suffers major setback

The Congress, which had previously been criticised for underperforming within the opposition alliance, suffered a significant decline. It won just six of the 61 seats it contested, compared to 19 out of 70 in 2020. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, the principal opposition party in Bihar, also endured a steep fall, securing only 25 of the 143 seats allocated to it, down from 75 out of 144 in the previous election.

The results dealt a heavy blow to the opposition’s hopes of mounting a challenge to the NDA’s well-organised campaign. Despite this, Gandhi reiterated his gratitude to supporters and vowed to continue the political fight.

Kharge accuses NDA of misusing institutions

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed Gandhi’s concerns, alleging the misuse of “constitutional institutions”. Writing on X, he said the party respected the people’s mandate but would continue “the fight against those forces that are engaged in weakening democracy”.

Kharge urged Congress workers not to lose heart, calling them the party’s “pride, honour, and glory”. He promised a thorough internal examination of the results and reaffirmed the party’s commitment to raising public awareness and defending constitutional values. “This fight is long and we will fight it with complete dedication, courage, and truth,” he said.