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Mumbai, Nov 15 (IANS) Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Saturday sharply criticized the Bihar Assembly election results and alleged “collusion” between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to ensure the victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Shiv Sena-UBT said the results were not surprising and reflected the collapse of public confidence in the electoral process.
The party’s comments appeared in an editorial titled ‘Election Commission Zindabad’ in its mouthpiece Saamana, which scathingly accused the Election Commission of India and the BJP of working together during the elections.
The editorial made a scathing comment and asked, “When the election watchman himself helps the thieves, then whom should the public trust?”
It said that the situation in the country has become serious and disturbing, it seems as if “the unlimited rule of the Kauravas over the Mahabharata has begun and there is no end to it.”
Calling Bihar’s decision “a scandal in Indian democracy”, the editorial argued that elections “have lost their meaning under the Modi-Shah regime.”
The article said that any celebrations with “drums and trumpets” in Delhi after the Bihar results should not be seen as a simple victory rally. Instead, it described the scene as “a warning that the funeral of Indian democracy has begun.”
The editorial questioned the credibility of the elections and said that the atmosphere in the country has become worrying. Also, the editorial said that the Constitution has the strength to withstand setbacks and public resistance will continue.
According to the editorial, Bihar’s decision follows the pattern seen earlier in Maharashtra. It said the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which had expected a strong show in Maharashtra, also failed to cross 50 seats and compared it with the results in Bihar, where the Tejashwi Yadav-led grand alliance suffered a massive defeat.
The editorial said that Tejashwi Yadav and his alliance had run a determined campaign, but alleged that the ruling party still won big.
Commenting on the scale of NDA’s victory, the editorial said, “Indian democracy has also fainted and collapsed on the soil of Bihar.”
The editorial criticized the heavy deployment of national political figures and resources in Bihar. It said a Prime Minister, several chief ministers, ministers and MLAs from various states were involved in the campaign. It also pointed to the use of financial incentives and administrative machinery.
The editorial said the Prime Minister had transferred Rs 10,000 to the bank accounts of lakhs of women in Bihar just before voting and had repeatedly told them in campaign meetings, “I will send the next installment immediately, vote for BJP.” It was said that its impact was clearly visible on the final result in Bihar.
According to the editorial, this arrangement now means that “BJP will rule Bihar by placing an incompetent Chief Minister on the chair.” It said there were two deputy chief ministers in the party who were not promoted earlier but may now get a chance.
It said that if given a chance, he would not hesitate to “sideline Nitish Kumar, take over his party and secure the chief minister’s post”.
Saamna’s editorial also questioned the effectiveness of the “Voting Adhikar Yatra” undertaken by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav and said that the public has welcomed the campaign, but doubts now remain over how the votes were counted. It described the last five years of governance in Bihar as unstable and criticized Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claiming that even his allies have become uncertain of him. It asked how a person considered irrelevant to public life could continue to lead the state.
“How will such a disabled person take Bihar forward?” the editorial asked.
The editorial said the BJP has repeatedly stated Nitish Kumar as its choice for chief minister, but the party has now secured more seats than its ally. It was observed that such an equation could further increase the political churn in Bihar. It said that the wider impact of Bihar results on national politics remains to be seen.
The editorial asked whether Bihar’s decision would hinder the broader effort to “protect democracy, constitutional institutions like Parliament and the Election Commission in this country”.
According to the editorial, whenever elections came, those in power would make promises of new development, announce schemes to address unemployment and poverty, as well as influence voters through direct cash transfers. It claimed that the Election Commission “watches all this silently” and that similar patterns were visible in the Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections.
–IANS
SJ/SNJ/SKP