Patna, July 24 As Bihar's Leader of the Opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav hinted at the possibility of boycotting the upcoming Assembly elections in protest against the "deliberate" disenfranchisement of voters, the BJP on Thursday hit back, claiming that he was already seeing defeat for his party.
Trashing the poll boycott threat, BJP leaders said that the people of Bihar have already rejected the RJD and other opposition parties.
Meanwhile, the Congress said that if people's names are being arbitrarily removed from the voter list, then it is a matter of fighting for their rights, and they would be fully capable of taking any necessary decision.
Speaking to IANS, BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad said: “Of course, he (Tejashwi Yadav) should go ahead with it, but the truth is that it’s the public that’s preparing to boycott them. What will they boycott? It’s actually the RJD and the INDIA alliance that voters are getting ready to reject."
BJP leader Neeraj Kumar Singh Bablu said: "Tejashwi Yadav is speaking with the upcoming situation in mind. He knows that this time he won’t even reach double digits - he is well aware that his defeat is certain. That’s why he is staying away from the elections."
BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur added: "He won’t boycott, but he has understood the mindset of Bihar. They lost 178 seats in the Lok Sabha, then in the Assembly, and later in the four by-elections, where they were wiped out completely. It’s clear now. Looking at the wave created by development and welfare schemes, they can clearly see their defeat coming.”
On the other hand, CPI-ML MLA Ajit Kushwaha said: "No decision has been made yet regarding a boycott. There will be discussions. How can we say right now that we will boycott? But yes, it is certain that there is a threat to our voters and their names. If this continues, we will definitely consider moving in that direction.":
Bihar Congress state president Rajesh Ram said: "When the Election Commission releases its final list, we will launch a major movement. This boycott is a serious matter—we are talking about preparing for a large-scale agitation. If people's names are being arbitrarily removed from the list, then it’s about fighting for their rights. And if necessary, we will be fully capable of taking any decision required.”
On Wednesday, Tejashwi Yadav, on boycotting the Bihar polls, had said: "That option is certainly on the table. We’ll discuss it within the alliance and also take public opinion. If the BJP wants to contest elections based on a fake list, then just give them an extension and let them run the government. What’s the point of holding elections if they’re rigged? If the entire process is dishonest, then there’s no meaning to democracy."
The Election Commission announced on Wednesday that 56 lakh names - up from 42 lakh the previous day - have been dropped from the draft voters’ list, which will be released on August 1. Of these, 20 lakh people were deceased, 28 lakh had permanently migrated, 7 lakh were enrolled at multiple places, and 1 lakh remain untraceable.
Meanwhile, the fourth day of the Monsoon Session of the Bihar Assembly began with continued uproar by opposition MLAs, who are demanding a special discussion in the House on the ongoing voter list revision (SIR) in the state.
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