Bihar Elections: VIP Chief Mukesh Sahani Claims NDA Victory Secured Through Freebies Distribution

"According to the Prime Minister's terminology, the NDA is establishing a government by distributing 'rewadi' (freebies)," stated Sahani.

Although the Mahagathbandhan projected him as their deputy chief minister candidate, Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party appears to have secured no seats in the Bihar Assembly elections, highlighting the opposition alliance's misjudgment of ground realities.

In a Friday interview with NDTV, Sahani acknowledged the electoral verdict while attributing the NDA's success to "freebies," and alleged that the Election Commission ignored opposition complaints regarding vote manipulation.

"We honor the people's mandate and will collectively examine what went wrong. In PM Modi's terminology, the NDA is forming a government through 'rewadi' distribution. This was evident in how Nitish Kumar secured women's votes by transferring Rs 10,000 to their accounts. This was also Nitish ji's final election after his two decades of work for women. He preserved his government by distributing Rs 10,000. I extend my congratulations, but we need to reflect deeply," he explained.

"We highlighted instances of vote manipulation and joined the voter adhikar yatra with Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi to address public grievances. Many citizens were unjustly removed from voter rolls, and we requested their reinstatement, but this never materialized," the VIP chief further noted.

Sahani maintained that the opposition had made every possible effort, but his party would conduct a thorough analysis with Mahagathbandhan partners to identify any potential shortcomings.

Following extended negotiations, the VIP, formerly aligned with the NDA, had received 12 seats from the RJD, Congress and other Mahagathbandhan allies. Sahani had also demanded deputy chief ministership if the alliance won, which the Mahagathbandhan accepted to secure votes from the Nishad or Mallah community and Extremely Backward Classes.