BJP’s Sanjay Jaiswal Invites Rahul Gandhi to Raise “Vote Chori” Issue in West Bengal, Highlights Infiltrator Removal

Bihar BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal used a Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms on Tuesday to challenge Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and shift the political focus toward the upcoming West Bengal assembly election. Jaiswal openly thanked Gandhi for raising the issue of alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) in the recent Bihar election, claiming it confused voters and ultimately helped the ruling NDA alliance.

West Bengal Strategy Revealed

Jaiswal urged Rahul Gandhi to continue raising such issues in the upcoming West Bengal election, while outlining the BJP’s dual strategy for the state:

1. Infiltrator Removal: “We will raise the issue of removing infiltrators from voter lists, in which Bangladeshis and Rohingyas having been illegally added earlier.”
2. TMC Failures: “But we will also talk about the failures of the Trinamool Congress government of Mamata Banerjee.”

Jaiswal repeated the election slogan, “Bihar ki jeet hamari hai, ab Bengal ki baari hai” (“We have won Bihar, it’s now time for Bengal”), reflecting the BJP’s intense focus on the state where assembly elections are due next year. He also evoked former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s famous pledge: “Andhera chhatega, suraj niklega, aur Bengal mein is baar kamal khilega.”

Criticizing Opposition’s Dedication

Jaiswal criticized the opposition’s election strategies, particularly Rahul Gandhi’s efforts in Bihar:

• He noted that Gandhi failed to raise any substantive issues against the 20 years of NDA rule, instead focusing on “vote chori, SIR,” which Jaiswal claimed had “no resonance among the public.”
• He accused Gandhi of treating his election campaign as a “20-day tourist trip of Bihar” before departing abroad for a trip when the actual election was underway.
• He contrasted this with the BJP’s culture, where central leaders actively work at the local level across different states.

The focus on Bengal was also recently highlighted by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who alleged that PM Modi and the BJP were politicizing the Vande Mataram debate solely with an eye on the West Bengal election, despite the national song’s Bengali origins.