Bihar Polls: CPI(ML) Leader Slams 'Abnormal' Outcome as 'Three Experiments' Gone Wrong

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CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has described the Bihar assembly election outcome as 'abnormal' and attributed it to three 'experiments' conducted by the government. The opposition party, a key constituent of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, secured only two seats out of 20 contested, a significant drop from the 12 seats it won in the 2020 polls. The 'experiments', according to Bhattacharya, include the transfer of ₹10,000 to women as the first instalment of Mahila Rojgar Yojana, the deletion and addition of names in the SIR exercise, and the transfer of land at a throwaway price to a corporate house. The CPI(ML) leader claimed that the poll dates were not announced until all the targeted welfare schemes, including the ₹10,000 for women, were implemented. Bhattacharya also pointed out that the deletion of 65 lakh votes through SIR and the addition of 3.5-4 lakh votes at a later stage ahead of the polls had impacted the outcome. The SIR exercise, he claimed, was the 'second big experiment in the laboratory of Bihar.' The transfer of land to a corporate house, which may lead to the 'normalisation of corporatisation of Bihar's resources', was raised by the opposition but failed to impact the people, the Left leader said. Bhattacharya warned that these 'experiments' may set the course and agenda for Indian politics in the future. Asserting that the election results are 'abnormal, beyond our hopes and comprehension,' Bhattacharya said that the party and the alliance will mull over this aspect to decide the future course of action. The party will conduct a feedback and public relations exercise among the people from November 18 to 24. Drawing a comparison with the 2010 Bihar elections, Bhattacharya said that the current decline in Nitish Kumar's government and the NDA government at the Centre is a significant factor in the outcome. He also highlighted the anomaly in India's electoral politics, where there is usually a mismatch between vote percentage and seats secured. Bhattacharya emphasized that the CPI(ML) votes have remained relatively stable since the 2020 elections, but the number of seats secured has plummeted. The party is now planning to stop these 'experiments' to ensure a level-playing field in politics.