Opposition alleges BJP's Rakesh Sinha voted twice—in Delhi and now in Bihar, asks ‘Chori pakad liye toh sudhar jayenge?’

A fresh political row erupted on Thursday as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “voter fraud,” alleging that BJP Rajya Sabha MP and RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha voted twice, once in the Delhi Assembly elections in February and again in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections held today.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that Sinha cast his vote from Dwarka in the Delhi polls earlier this year and again from Siwan in Bihar, describing it as an “open and shut case of fraud.”

Bharadwaj alleged that BJP MP Rakesh Sinha, who teaches at Motilal Nehru College under Delhi University, could not possibly claim a Bihar address and accused the BJP of engaging in “open and blatant theft.”

He shared photographs showing several individuals, including Sinha, who allegedly voted in both Delhi and Bihar.

See the post here:

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate took to X and said, “BJP leader Rakesh Sinha voted in the Delhi Assembly elections in February 2025; voted in the Bihar Assembly elections on 5 November. Under which scheme is this happening?”

Can a person who is registered in two states cast votes at two different locations in two separate elections?

No, Indian electoral law mandates a single voter registration per person, linked to one constituency based on residence under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Here's what ECI says:

Voting in multiple states or constituencies constitutes fraud, punishable by imprisonment or fines.

Here's what Rakesh Sinha said

In a post on X, Sinha slammed the opposition and said, “I had no idea that politics could be so trivial. Those who question the faith in the Constitution should think a hundred times. My name was in the Delhi voter list. Due to my active involvement in Bihar's politics, I got my name changed to the village of Manser Pur (Begusarai). Should I file a defamation case for this accusation?”

Bihar assembly elections 2025

In Bihar's first phase of assembly elections, nearly 65% of the 3.75 crore eligible voters cast their ballots across 121 constituencies, marking the “highest ever” voter turnout in the state.

In a statement, the Election Commission said the first phase of the assembly elections concluded peacefully "in a festive mood with the highest-ever voter turnout of 64.66% in the history of Bihar".

Muzaffarpur recorded a turnout of 70.96%, while the polling percentage in Samastipur stood at 70.63.

Madhepura recorded 67.21% turnout, followed by Vaishali at 67.37%, Saharsa at 66.84%, Khagaria at 66.36%, Lakhisarai at 65.05%, Munger at 60.40%, Siwan at 60.31%, Nalanda at 58.91%, and Patna at 57.93%.

The low turnout in Patna was largely attributed to urban constituencies such as Bankipur, Digha, and Kumhrar, where electors are known to be less enthusiastic.

According to the Election Commission, the assembly elections of 1951-52 saw the lowest voter turnout in the state at 42.6%, while the one in 2000 saw the highest turnout before this, at 62.57%.

In the last assembly polls in 2020, held under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, a voter turnout of 57.29% was recorded. The 2015 elections recorded a turnout of 56.91%, while the one before that, in 2010, the polling percentage stood at 52.73.

(With inputs from agencies)