Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar’s Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, has launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming it is functioning like a “cell” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Speaking during the ongoing ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar’s Araria on Sunday, Tejashwi asserted that the commission has lost its credibility among the people.

“Election Commission has become a ‘Godi Commission’ now and is working like BJP’s cell. Rahul Gandhi and I have started this Yatra to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the right to vote. Even at the village level, people believe EC’s credibility is finished,” he said during a press briefing.

Tejashwi also criticised the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar, alleging that many voters were wrongly marked as deceased. “About 50 voters’ names have been deleted from each booth. We have submitted evidence to the Supreme Court showing that living individuals have been declared dead,” he claimed.

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent comments in Gaya regarding “infiltrators,” Tejashwi said the Election Commission has no such category in its official records. “No one spreads rumours better than the Prime Minister. PM Modi said in Gaya that EC is acting against infiltrators, but in EC’s affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, there is no mention of infiltrators,” he stated.

Earlier, PM Modi had reiterated the NDA government’s commitment to preventing illegal immigrants from influencing India’s future, saying during his Gaya address, “From the Red Fort, I have warned about the threat of infiltrators. Bihar faces this danger too, as the demographic situation in border areas is changing. We will not allow illegal immigrants to decide the future of our country.”

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also part of the Voter Adhikar Yatra, alleged that the SIR process in Bihar is an “institutionalised way” of voter fraud. “Lakhs of names have been deleted from the voter list. The Opposition is protesting, but the BJP has not raised any concerns because there is a clear partnership between the Election Commission and the BJP,” he said.