Congress’ poor performance in polls reveals contradictions in its claims: Sanjay Jaiswal

Former Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President and Member of Parliament Sanjay Jaiswal. File | Photo credit: PTI

Former Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Member of Parliament Sanjay Jaiswal claimed that after its electoral defeats, the opposition is now targeting constitutional institutions.

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He also alleged that attempts were made to spread misinformation about the Special Intensive Review (SIR), Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the election process to undermine public confidence in democracy, the Constitution and the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Mr. Jaiswal was addressing a press conference organized on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) in Patna as part of the ‘Loktantra Bachao, Bheedtantra Hatao’ (Save Democracy, Remove Mob Rule) campaign. He added that the results of the Legislative Council elections revealed contradictions with the claims of the Congress.

BJP leader and Arwal MLA Manoj Sharma and Bihar BJP State Media in-charge Danish Iqba were also present.

“Congress has been demanding elections through ballots for a long time. However, Legislative Council elections are held through ballots under the preferential electoral system. Still, Congress won only one of the 28 seats,” said Mr. said Jaiswal.

Referring to Karnataka as another example, Mr. Jaiswal further said, “Congress lost all four seats there as well. Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, Congress continued to deceive the public and challenge constitutional institutions despite repeated electoral setbacks.”

Paschim Champaran BJP MP Mr. Jaiswal said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was conducted in accordance with the constitutional and legal framework and that the revision process has a long history dating back to 1950.

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He pointed out that the SIR had been done eight times before, including on seven occasions during Congress-led governments.

“The SIR exercise conducted in Bihar last year resulted in the correction of 47 thousand electoral records, including those related to dead voters, people who moved elsewhere and duplicate records. Not a single affected individual came forward to raise concerns about these corrections,” said Mr. said Jaiswal.

Mr. Jaiswal further alleged that during the Trinamool Congress rule in West Bengal, cases of Bangladeshi nationals allegedly obtaining forged documents and being included in the electoral rolls became a matter of concern.

“Bangladeshi nationals detained at certain places were allegedly found with Aadhaar cards allegedly linked to South 24 Parganas. India is home to citizens of all faiths. However, foreign nationals who do not meet the legal requirements for Indian citizenship cannot be given the right to vote,” said Mr. said Jaiswal.

He added, “Raising doubts about ECI’s impartiality without adequate evidence is not right; they should back up their claims with facts. I will appeal to the people of Bihar to judge the matter objectively and not be swayed by misleading propaganda. Accurate electoral rolls are essential to strengthen democracy.”

BJP leader and Arwal MLA Manoj Sharma said the opposition has repeatedly tried to question constitutional institutions on issues including SIR. He called the efforts to create an atmosphere of malicious and misleading propaganda against constitutional processes irresponsible.

“The framers of the constitution created a multi-party democratic system based on the principle that every eligible citizen’s vote is of equal value. Article 324 of the constitution places ECI in charge of supervising, managing and controlling elections. The preparation and revision of electoral rolls was essential to ensure transparent and impartial elections,” he said. Sharma said.

Mr. Sharma added that the revision of electoral rolls was necessary to ensure democratic transparency and ensure free and fair elections. He called on the opposition to cooperate with the constitutional process in place rather than making allegations against constitutional institutions.

Published – 30 Oct 2026 08:42 IST