The Bihar election race is heating up, and with nominations for both phases now complete, the picture has become clearer. This election will be closely watched —not only for the political outcome, but also for how the polling process is conducted. Already, things do not look good.
It is no secret that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is under scrutiny. Bihar is the first state where the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has been rolled out, and opposition parties led by the Congress have made the loudest allegations of “vote chori,” accusing the commission of selectively deleting voters from electoral rolls belonging to disenfranchised communities in order to shore up the ruling party’s grip on power.
It is also the first election after the opposition, again led by the Congress, has accused the ruling party of massive manipulation of electoral rolls—tactical additions, deletions, late voting, fake entries, and so on.
Hopes that the ECI would be especially careful to ensure that this election is not only fair but also seen to be fair have quickly been dashed. No sooner had nominations begun to be filed than investigative authorities started arresting candidates who had submitted their nominations. To date, three candidates have been arrested shortly after filing their nominations—some in cases dating back to 2004. All those arrested belong to opposition parties; none are from the ruling dispensation. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what is going on. It is quite apparent that this is simply an attempt to deny those candidates the opportunity to campaign, thereby tilting the scales in favour of the ruling party.
The Election Commission, as usual, has done nothing. One could argue that the arrested candidates can seek legal recourse and would most likely avail themselves of such remedies. But that does not answer the question of whether the elections being conducted are truly fair. The deeper question is why this was allowed to happen in the first place. While investigative authorities are legally within their powers to make arrests when they deem it necessary, the discretion they have been given has been used to shore up the ruling party’s hold on power.
It is examples like this that make voters increasingly doubt the integrity of the electoral process. If left unchecked, this will only deepen distrust between the electorate and the elected, and it will erode confidence in the one mechanism citizens have to express non‑violent disapproval of the government. Other avenues inevitably involve violence, societal division, higher crime rates, and further mistrust of institutions.
Trust in India’s electoral process was won after a long and hard battle. Booth‑capturing, fake ballots, and election‑related violence were once common features of Indian elections, and it was only thanks to the commitment of past Election Commissioners that the process gained a semblance of a free and fair election. This was possible because the Election Commission of India functioned as an independent institution.
Today, the ECI faces a credibility crisis for failing to act independently, for not being seen as impartial, and, most importantly, for appearing beholden to the ruling party. This perception stems from the favourable declaration of election dates after the SOPs have been announced, from a schedule that allows the ruling party’s star campaigners to cover as much ground as possible, and from a failure to adequately address legitimate doubts.
If the opposition parties manage to emerge victorious in the upcoming polls, it will be against all odds and on a field that has been deliberately tilted against them.
