Rattled referee

If the Election Commission cannot recalibrate, the INDIA bloc could turn the 'vote theft' controversy into a broader referendum on the poll body's credibility

- BY BADAR BASHIR AND KANU SARDA

The opposition bloc wanted just one addition to its political arsenal—a narrative strong enough to take on the BJP's claims of economic, social and political progress.

Rahul Gandhi's “vote chori (theft)” presentation on August 7, highlighting alleged fraud in the electoral system, seems to have given them that narrative just two months before the Bihar assembly elections. Four days later, more than 300 opposition MPs held a well-coordinated protest against the Election Commission.

The Trinamool Congress, usually misaligned with the broad-based opposition, and the Aam Aadmi Party, which had clashing interests with the Congress, came together on a common issue for the first time after last year's Lok Sabha elections. Also, for once, all in the opposition backed Gandhi's demand that the EC respond to his allegations.

Opposition leaders say this momentum is rare as they had not shown such cohesion even after limiting the BJP to below majority in the Lok Sabha elections.

Gandhi had tried to rally the opposition by pointing fingers at corporate giant Adani and the Rafale jet deal, but the support he hoped for did not materialise. The regional parties believed they had their own state-level agendas that mattered more to their voters than such national issues. Notably, some opposition parties have corporate ties in their states, so backing an “anti-Adani” stance could have hurt their business relationships. A Congress Lok Sabha member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the party's own leaders failed to pick up the Adani issue. Without a coordinated opposition push, the BJP would easily reframe such debates.