Siddaramaiah alleges ‘vote theft’ in Bihar as NDA leads

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday alleged that “vote chori” (vote theft) had taken place in Bihar, where the ruling NDA is currently leading and appears set to secure a majority as counting progresses for the Assembly elections.

The polls in Bihar were conducted over two phases on November 6 and 11.

Responding to questions on the Congress-RJD-led Mahagathbandhan’s setback, Siddaramaiah said he had not visited Bihar and was unaware of the reasons behind the alliance’s poor performance. “We have to accept the mandate of the people. I don’t know what caused the set back. I had not gone there (to Bihar). I don’t know who did not vote (for us), why the NDA has won with a big majority. I will try to know,” he told reporters.

Asked why the Congress failed to attract support from OBC voters despite their decisive presence, he remarked, “I don’t know. Who is Nitish Kumar? Isn’t he OBC?”

On the Congress party’s earlier allegations of vote theft, including those made by Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said, “They have done chori here too,” but did not elaborate further.