Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, terming the Bihar election results as disappointing, on Friday made serious allegations regarding the misuse of money power in the polls. Speaking at the State Congress Headquarters on Friday, Gehlot stated that Rs 10,000 per woman was distributed during the Bihar election campaign, which significantly influenced the outcome.
Gehlot alleged that money was distributed even while the election campaign was underway something he said has never happened before. He stated that women received money in their bank accounts even a day before voting, directly affecting the fairness of the electoral process.
He added that when the Model Code of Conduct was enforced in Rajasthan, his Congress government immediately stopped distributing mobile phones, and even pensions for the elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities were halted to comply with election rules.
In contrast, he alleged, pensions and direct cash transfers continued openly in Bihar during the current elections, which he described as a major reason for the Congress’ defeat there. Gehlot sharply questioned the role of the Election Commission, stating that it should have intervened to stop the distribution of money during the election period, but failed to do so.
He noted that while the Commission strictly enforced rules in Rajasthan stopping pensions and halting mobile phone distribution it ignored similar or more serious violations in Bihar. He said that former Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, along with other leaders, has repeatedly spoken about 'vote theft,' and the events in Bihar clearly reflect this.
According to Gehlot, if elections are not conducted fairly, money is misused, and the Commission remains silent, "then this is nothing but vote theft." Gehlot further stated that the misuse of money power has reached unimaginable levels, and cited Maharashtra as an example, urging people to investigate how many crores were allegedly given to candidates there.
He asserted that the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) do not possess such financial resources. Concluding his remarks, Gehlot said that although Narendra Modi has become Prime Minister three times, he firmly believes that the country needs the Congress' ideology for its future. “It is in the nation’s interest. The country needs Congress,” he said.