BJP COUNTERS RAHUL GANDHI’S ANTI-INCUMBENCY CLAIM WITH CONGRESS’S ELECTORAL HISTORY

September 24, 2026

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that anti-incumbency appeared to have disappeared against the BJP, with BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi pointing to the Congress’s electoral record in several states.

Gandhi, addressing a press conference amid the ongoing dispute over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, questioned why governments and political parties had historically faced anti-incumbency while, in his view, the phenomenon appeared not to affect Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP. He cited electoral shifts in Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Trivedi countered by arguing that the Congress itself had experienced prolonged periods outside government in several states. He cited Tamil Nadu, where Congress has not formed a government since 1967, West Bengal since 1977, Bihar since 1990, Uttar Pradesh since 1989 and Odisha since 1999. These historical electoral figures were presented by the BJP as evidence that anti-incumbency has affected different parties at different times.

The exchange came amid a wider political confrontation over the Election Commission’s handling of electoral-roll revisions. Gandhi has alleged that electoral processes have been compromised, while the BJP has rejected his allegations. The Election Commission has maintained that its final decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously by its three commissioners.