The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 29 October 2026 launched a sharp counterattack against opposition parties at a press conference in Patna, asserting that parties that lose elections are deliberately attempting to undermine constitutional institutions to conceal their political failures. The event was held under the party's 'Save Democracy, Eliminate Anarchy' campaign.

EVM criticism turned on its head

Former Bihar BJP president and Member of Parliament Sanjay Jaiswal took direct aim at the Indian National Congress (Congress) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly spreading distrust around Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, and the broader electoral process. Jaiswal deployed the Congress party's own logic against it, citing recent Legislative Council election results as evidence. Legislative Council elections are conducted exclusively using physical ballot papers under the preferential voting system — the very format Congress has demanded as an alternative to EVMs.

'Despite ballot papers being used, Congress managed to win just a single seat out of the 28 contested,' Jaiswal said. He further pointed to the Karnataka Legislative Council elections, noting that Congress lost all four seats there despite being in power in the state. 'When election outcomes fail to favour them even with paper ballots, their strategy of questioning the voting process stands completely exposed,' he added.

Voter roll revision: what the BJP says

On opposition criticism of the Special Intensive Revision exercise, Jaiswal clarified that updating electoral rolls is a constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI), one it has carried out regularly since 1950. He revealed that in the recent Bihar drive, approximately 47 lakh entries were sanitised — covering deceased voters, relocated residents, and duplicate registrations. He stressed that any legitimate voter mistakenly removed retains the right to file objections through standard regulatory channels.

National security and voter eligibility

Jaiswal also flagged national security dimensions, asserting that voting rights are constitutionally reserved for Indian citizens who meet age and residential criteria. He alleged that in West Bengal, attempts have been made to register Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingya refugees on voter rolls using forged credentials. 'While India belongs to citizens of all faiths, allowing illegal entrants onto voter lists directly threatens our democratic framework,' he said, adding that the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) is aimed at removing ineligible entries.

Senior BJP voices back the position

Senior BJP leader and Arwal MLA Manoj Sharma invoked Article 324 of the Constitution, underscoring that the Election Commission holds absolute authority over the direction and control of elections. Sharma called on opposition parties to cooperate in refining electoral data under the principle of 'one citizen, one vote' rather than make unsubstantiated allegations. Bihar cabinet minister Ashok Chaudhary also weighed in, stating that parties which championed paper ballots have now seen a verdict delivered through their preferred medium.

With Bihar elections on the political horizon, the BJP's coordinated messaging signals an intent to own the electoral integrity narrative ahead of any future contest.