AAP accuses BJP leader of voting both in Delhi and Bihar, he hits back

AAP accuses BJP leaders of "vote theft" for voting in both Delhi and Bihar, despite ECI's efforts to prevent duplicate registrations. BJP denies allegations.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of “vote theft”, claiming that they voted in both the Delhi and Bihar Assembly elections this year, despite the Election Commission of India’s (ECI’s) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive meant to prevent duplication in voter lists. In return, a BJP leader clarified that he had shifted his vote from Delhi to his home town in Bihar.

The first phase of Bihar polls took place on November 6. (Representative photo/AFP)

Addressing a press conference, AAP’s Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha, Delhi BJP Purvanchal Morcha president Santosh Ojha and party functionary Nagendra Kumar each cast votes twice.

“The Election Commission had promised that after the SIR, no voter could remain registered in two states. Then how did these BJP leaders manage to vote again in Bihar? Even the BJP’s Purvanchal Morcha president is voting in two states. Imagine the scale of vote theft that must be happening across the country,” Bharadwaj said.

While the Delhi BJP unit did not comment, Sinha posted a video on X explaining that he has shifted his vote from Delhi to his native village, Manseerpur (Begusarai) in Bihar.

“Baseless and morally contested allegations are being levelled against me by liars and morally degraded leaders of Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and their ilk. My name is only on Bihar’s electoral roll. It was earlier in Delhi's electoral roll, and I got it deleted through a procedure established by law,” posted Sinha.

Sharing what he called photographic and digital evidence, Bharadwaj cited social media posts made by the BJP leaders. He said Ojha had posted on his verified Instagram account on Thursday: “Voted today with resolve for prosperous Buxar, empowered Bihar, and developed India.”

Bharadwaj called it a systemic subversion of democracy and urged citizens to raise their voice peacefully through democratic and constitutional means.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “This is the real face of Bihar’s SIR. BJP loyalists seem to have received an all-India permit to vote anywhere they want.”

The Election Commission has not yet responded to AAP’s allegations.