Poll panel's theft caught: Non-INDIA bloc AAP backs Congress on 'vote chori' claim

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday intensified its attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP-led central government, alleging electoral manipulation ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. “The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is backing the Congress’s ‘vote chori’ claim despite having exited the INDIA bloc last month.”

AAP leader Anurag Dhanda said, "The Election Commission wants to put the blame of its own responsibility on political parties. The Election Commission's theft has also been caught, which is why the Election Commission is feeling embarrassed. Now, its collusion with the BJP has become public, which is why the Election Commission has started blaming political parties."

He further added, "Teachers, whom we used to send abroad for training during the AAP government, are today being used by the BJP in rallies. This shows that if you form a government by stealing votes, people will not show up to your rallies."

On Sunday, addressing a press conference, the Chief Election Commissioner rejected as baseless the opposition's allegations of double voting and "vote theft" and asserted that all stakeholders are working to make Special Intensive Revision (SIR) a success in a transparent manner.

Earlier, amid the INDIA bloc's protest against voter list manipulation in the 2024 Lok Sabha Election, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) intensified its attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging large-scale electoral fraud during the recently concluded Delhi polls.

However, it distanced itself against the INDIA bloc's protest against voter list manipulation. Nearly 300 Opposition MPs, led by Rahul Gandhi, marched to the Election Commission in Delhi over alleged electoral malpractices, but the protest was blocked by the Delhi Police, resulting in several detentions.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has accused the poll panel of being "bent on murdering democracy" and released a series of videos on its official social media handles. The clips revived the charge of "vote chori" (vote theft) and linked it to the ongoing voter roll revision in Bihar.

AAP’s sharp criticism came even as the party distanced itself from the opposition INDIA bloc. AAP’s Parliamentary Party leader Sanjay Singh said, "AAP is out of the INDIA bloc. Our party has made it clear, Arvind Kejriwal has made it clear. We are no longer part of the alliance."

Singh stressed that the INDIA alliance was formed only for the Lok Sabha elections and pointed out that AAP has contested all subsequent assembly elections independently. While the party fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Delhi in alliance with the Congress, it went solo in the Haryana and Delhi Assembly elections.

AAP has also announced its decision to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections independently.

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