‘Game’ Played Through SIR in Bihar will not be Possible Again, Says Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday alleged that the “game” carried out through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar will no longer be possible in other states.

Yadav’s comments came as the BJP-led NDA appeared to be heading for an impressive victory in Bihar, even as the opposition Congress raised doubts over the integrity of the ongoing counting process.

In a post on X in Hindi, Yadav said that the “game” carried out through SIR in Bihar has now been exposed, and that such “election conspiracies” will not be possible in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, or anywhere else.

“We will not allow them to play this game any further,” he said.

“Like CCTV, our ‘PPTV,’ or ‘PDA (Backwards, Dalit, Minority) Prahari (watchdog)’ will remain vigilant and thwart the BJP’s plans,” he said.

The months-long SIR in Bihar concluded with the Election Commission (EC) publishing the final voters’ list on September 30. The exercise drew sharp protests from the opposition, which accused the poll panel of working at the behest of the ruling BJP, a charge it flatly rejected.

Yadav further said the BJP is “not a party, but a fraud”.

According to the EC’s website, the BJP-led NDA is leading in around 200 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats, indicating that the saffron party is on track to post its biggest tally with an excellent strike rate.

As the NDA surged ahead, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram alleged “serious anomalies” in the counting process, claiming that the procedure had slowed abruptly in several centres after the initial rounds.