Bihar results: RJD holds review meeting; leaders allege EVM manipulation

Patna, Nov 17 (IANS) Following the humiliating defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) convened a crucial review meeting on Monday.

The meeting was attended by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, all winning MLAs, and losing candidates.

According to sources, the party still does not fully accept the NDA's sweeping victory and is exploring the possibility of challenging the results through legal channels.

Former Parbatta MLA Sanjeev Kumar expressed strong dissatisfaction while speaking to reporters after the meeting.

“The result is certainly surprising. This is impossible without some kind of manipulation,” he claimed.

He dismissed suggestions that the NDA victory was purely due to development work, saying, “People are saying this is a victory for Nitish Kumar’s development. He was doing developments for the past several years, but did not get such a result. I, too, carried out development work in my area, yet I lost.”

Sanjeev reiterated allegations of EVM manipulation.

He said, “A list of 65 seats was prepared even before the election. My seat was on that list. The list was with an official, and I have seen it myself. These 65 seats were targeted.”

He also raised questions about the winning margins of RJD candidates.

Of the 25 RJD MLAs who won, several were expected to secure margins exceeding 50,000 votes, but ended up winning by just 10,000–11,000 votes.

He added that RJD’s overall vote share—nearly 1.8 crore votes—clearly shows the party enjoyed widespread support despite the final seat tally.

Maner MLA Bhai Virendra made similar allegations.

“There was fraud in the EVM, and we must fight against it,” he said.

He claimed that RJD candidates were leading during the postal ballot count, but the situation reversed once EVM counting began.

“We won because of the ballot paper; we lost because of the EVM. We are analysing the situation, and legal options are open for us. Such a result is surprising,” he added.

RJD candidate from Lalganj, Shivani Shukla, also raised eyebrows over the results in her constituency.

She cited the example of an independent candidate reportedly receiving not a single vote, calling it deeply concerning and stating that questions will inevitably arise.

The RJD leadership is expected to meet again in the coming days to finalise its next move, including the possibility of approaching the Election Commission or the courts.

--IANS

ajk/dan