As the vote count in Bihar elections is coming to a close with NDA winning on 121 seats and Mahagathbandhan at 109 seats, the allegations of election fraud have started to emerge from RJD. RJD has accused that the Nitish Kumar government is intimidating officials and tempering with the results.
In a series of tweets, RJD and CPIML have shared the information about fraud in vote counting on sets where the winning margin is too thin.
“Sitting in the CM office, Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi have also pressured all District Magistrates and Returning Officers to announce winners in seats where their candidates are leading by a small margin,” the party claimed.
नीतीश कुमार, सुशील मोदी इत्यादि मुख्यमंत्री आवासीय कार्यालय में बैठ सभी जिलाधिकारियों पर दबाव बना सख़्त निर्देश जारी करवा रहे है कि महागठबंधन को कैसे भी 105-110 सीटों पर रोको।
किसी भी परिस्थिति में हम जनमत की लूट नहीं होने देंगे।
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) November 10, 2020
Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) has alleged that on as many as 119 seats the Mahagathbandhan candidates were congratulated by the returning officers and it was shown on the Election Commission website but now those candidates were denied relevant certificates.
119 सीट जीतने के बाद टीवी पर 109 दिखाया जा रहा है। नीतीश कुमार सभी अधिकारियों को फ़ोन कर धाँधली करवा रहे है। फ़ाइनल रिज़ल्ट आने और बधाई देने के अब अधिकारी अचानक कह रहे है कि आप हार गए है।
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) November 10, 2020
“For example, we are leading by 12,000 in Manhar, 14,000 in Fatuha and 10,000 in Suryagadha, but TV channels are showing that we are trailing on these seats,” the RJD stated on the microblogging site.
The RJD tweeted from its official account saying that candidate Shakti Singh of the Hilsa assembly constituency was declared victorious by 547 votes by the Returning Officer and was asked to wait for his certificate. After receiving a call from the chief minister’s residence, the officials told him that he lost by 13 votes due to the cancellation of the postal ballot, alleged RJD.
हिलसा विधानसभा क्षेत्र से राजद प्रत्याशी शक्ति सिंह को निर्वाचन अधिकारी ने 547 वोट से विजयी घोषित कर दिया था। सर्टिफ़िकेट लेने के लिए इंतज़ार करने को कहा गया। सीएम आवास से RO को फ़ोन आता है। फिर अचानक अधिकारी कहते है पोस्टल बैलेट रद्द होने के कारण आप 13 वोट से हार गए।
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) November 10, 2020
Congress leader Akhilesh Singh spoke to reporters saying there are discrepancies in counting.
.@RJDforIndia said candidate Shakti Singh from Hilsa was declared victorious by 547 votes by the Returning Officer and was asked to wait for his certificate.
A call from the CM later, he was allegedly told he lost by 13 votes.#BiharElectionResultshttps://t.co/pQGBKZN2Wh
— The Wire (@thewire_in) November 10, 2020
Meanwhile, the CPIML has written to the Election Commission, demanding recount in Bhorey, Arrah and Daraundha Assembly seats “due to dubious counting practices”.
“We urgently seek a recount of votes in the Bhorey, Arrah and Daraundha Assembly constituencies of Bihar. On all three of these seats, CPIML candidates have been shown to be defeated in very narrow margins, following some worrying violations of counting norms,” their letter says.
CPIML has demanded from the @ECISVEEP for recounting of votes at Bhorey, Arrah and Daraundha assembly constituencies in #BiharElection2020 pic.twitter.com/OPY5zouQ4q
— CPIML Liberation (@cpimlliberation) November 10, 2020
EC must ensure recounting of votes in all seats where victory margin is narrower than postal ballots. Several MGB candidates have been declared defeated by extremely narrow margins and irregularities have been reported in the counting process. #BiharResults
— Dipankar (@Dipankar_cpiml) November 10, 2020
RJD has also alleged that the postal ballots for the RJD candidate at Munger were being cancelled forcibly and votes from four EVM machines are not being counted.
मुंगेर विधानसभा से जबरदस्ती राजद उम्मीदवार के पोस्टल बैलेट को रद्द किया जा रहा है और चार EVM की गणना ही नहीं की जा रही है।
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) November 10, 2020
A delegation of the RJD and Congress have arrived at the Election Commission office at Patna to raise the issue of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar allegedly influencing the counting of votes.
In its press conference, the EC ostensibly defended its move by saying that in cases where the margin of victory is less than the number of postal ballots canceled, the rule is for the Returning Officer to review the postal ballots.
[…] RJD and Congress accuse JDU of Tampering with Vote count […]