PATNA: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the Election Commission (EC) was attempting to steal votes in Bihar, just as he claimed it had done in Maharashtra. He added, however, that the people of Bihar would not allow this to happen, asserting that any such manipulation would rob them of their future.

Addressing workers of the Opposition INDIA bloc after participating in a protest march in Patna against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections part of which included a ‘Chakka Jam’ (road blockade) Rahul Gandhi stated, “The EC should know that this is Bihar, and the people of this state will never allow the election body to steal the mandate here after what it did in Maharashtra and Haryana.”

Wearing his trademark white T-shirt and holding a red-covered copy of the Constitution, Rahul accused the EC of failing to discharge its duty in an honest and fair manner. Sharpening his criticism of the ruling government, he said, “In Maharashtra, the mandate was stolen. Now in Bihar, the right to vote is under threat an old conspiracy in a new form. We will continue to expose these anti-Constitutional forces. Together with the people and the youth, we will give a fitting reply.”