‘Terrorists attacked in Pahalgam. Within 20 days of this, they entered Pakistan and carried out Operation Sindoor. If Pakistan dares again, they will respond to the bullets with cannon balls. We will teach a lesson to Pakistanis with the cannon balls made in the factory in Bihar.

On November 4, Home Minister Amit Shah said these words in a meeting in Bettiah, Bihar. This is not the first time that votes were sought by targeting Pakistan or Muslims in election rallies. Terrorism flourished in Pakistan, which is true. But BJP always asks for votes with the help of this and also wins the elections. Believe it, without Muslims, Aurangzeb, Mughals or Pakistan, BJP will not get votes.

So let us understand in ABP Explainer why BJP’s soft target is Muslims-Pakistan, will the lotus not bloom without these issues and what will be its impact in Bihar elections…

Question 1- How did BJP raise the issue of Muslims, Pakistan and Mughals in the election rallies of Bihar?
answer- BJP’s focus in Bihar 2025 elections has been on security and identity, where Pakistan became a ‘symbol of terror’, Muslims ‘infiltrators’ and Mughals ‘historical enemies’.

• During the election rally in Bettiah on 4 November, Amit Shah said, ‘Rahul Gandhi had visited here a few days ago. This journey was to save the infiltrators. They may try as much as they want, but we will drive out each and every infiltrator.
• On November 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an election rally in Katihar, Bihar. PM Modi said, ‘Be it Congress or RJD, they are only interested in infiltrators. These people undertake political tours to save infiltrators. Tell me whether you will decide the future of Bihar or the infiltrators will decide it. These infiltrators are occupying your property and taking over your resources. Bihar has to be saved from infiltrators. We are working to remove these infiltrators.
• On October 31, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, while addressing an election rally in Vaishali, Bihar, said, ‘PM Modi can destroy Pakistan in 5 hours, but he does not do so because the people of Pakistan were also once a part of India.’
• On October 30, PM Modi held an election rally in Muzaffarpur and Chhapra in Bihar. He said, ‘When the blasts were taking place in Pakistan, the ‘royal family’ of the party lost its sleep. Both the notables of Pakistan and Congress have not yet emerged from Operation Sindoor.
• On October 21, Amit Shah said in Siwan, ‘Rahul Gandhi is undertaking a yatra to save the infiltrators. They want infiltrators to be allowed to stay in the country. Right now the elections have thrown out the infiltrators through SIR. Once NDA forms the government, BJP will throw out each and every infiltrator.
• On October 19, in Arwal, Bihar, Union Minister Giriraj Singh described Muslims as ‘Namak Haram’ in an election rally. He said, ‘People of the Muslim community also take advantage of the schemes of the Central Government, but they do not vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, due to which they do not feel obliged. We don’t need such salt bastards.

Not only this, BJP also took the help of Mughals in the election rally in Bihar in 2020. In the election rally in Bhagalpur on 28 October 2020, Amit Shah had said, ‘Mughals tortured Hindus during Aurangzeb’s rule. Today RJD is running Jungle Raj, like Aurangzeb’s dictatorship. Save Hindu pride by voting for NDA.

Question 2- Why does BJP capitalize on the issues of Pakistan, Muslims and Mughals in elections?
answer- The core of BJP’s strategy is Hindutva – an ideological framework that places Hindu identity at the center of nationalism. Political scientist Vinay Sitapati in his book ‘Jugalbandi: The BJP before Modi’ He writes, ‘BJP uses these issues to unite Hindus, because Hindu population is around 80%, but caste-based division scatters them. Creating fear of national security by portraying Pakistan as a source of terror, capitalizing on minority fears by calling Muslims as infiltrators and evoking a sense of historical injustice by portraying the Mughals as foreign tyrants, all these strengthen the Hindu vote bank.

Human Rights Watch’s 2024 report ‘India: Hate speech fueled Modi’s election campaign’ It is written that BJP shared an animated video calling Muslims ‘infiltrators’ in the 2024 Lok Sabha, which received 1.6 million views. Their aim was to consolidate Hindu votes by blaming the opposition for ‘Muslim appeasement’.

Time magazine’s 2023 report ‘How India’s BJP is weaponizing history against Muslims’ Experts say that making Mughals villains is BJP’s way of promoting Hindu nationalism. Like the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, which was associated with the Mughal emperor Babar.

Political expert Rashid Kidwai says, ‘This strategy is more clearly visible in Bihar. In the 2020 Bihar elections, BJP gave the slogan of ’80 vs 20’ i.e. 80% Hindus vs 20% Muslims. Due to this, Yogi Adityanath collected votes in UP. BJP rewrites history to target present-day Muslims by portraying the Mughals as ‘anti-Hindu’. This is vote bank politics, which attracts Hindu votes through fear and anger.

Question 3- Is there any historical background for BJP doing politics on polarizing issues?
answer- BJP has its roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), formed in 1925, which is based on Hindu nationalism. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s 2019 report ‘The BJP in Power: Indian Democracy and Religious Nationalism’ According to , the RSS always considered Muslims ‘separate from Indianness’, because the 1947 partition was for them ‘the defeat of Hindu unity’. BJP, formed in 1980, started the Ram Mandir movement in the 1990s, in which the Ram Janmabhoomi was built by demolishing the mosque of Mughal emperor Babar.

Asia Times 2024 report ‘BJP’s anti-Muslim rhetoric has deep, dark historical roots’ According to the BJP, the BJP considers Pakistan a symbol of ‘Muslim separatism’, which is linked to the ‘two-nation theory’ of the Muslim League of the 1940s.

National Herald’s 2017 report ‘Why is the BJP targeting the Mughals’ It was said that BJP arouses Hindu pride by branding the Mughals as ‘foreign invaders’ because it is easier than talking about real issues like unemployment and poverty.

‘Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth’ According to Andre Truschke, an expert who has written the book, BJP attacks present-day Muslims by making Aurangzeb ‘anti-Hindu’. This is a ‘dog whistle’, which gives signal to hate speech. Professor Ramchandra Guha in his book ‘After Gandhi’ He writes that in the 1980-90s, BJP converted communal riots into votes, like the Babri riots of 1992.

Today it spreads on social media. In 2024, videos on BJP’s Instagram calling Muslims ‘heirs of Muslim League’ went viral. In the 2020 Bihar elections, BJP mentioned ‘Pakistani flag’ along with ‘Jungle Raj’. The Print’s 2025 report ‘Mutton, Mughal, Muslim: Modi is showing the opposition as un-Hindu’ According to , BJP consolidates Hindu votes by terming the opposition as having ‘Mughal mentality’. This is always because promises of development do not last, but fear always works.

Question 4- Does BJP completely ignore Muslims or is there a soft strategy?
answer- No. BJP does not target ‘Pasmanda’ i.e. OBC Muslims. In 2019, BJP won 3 Pasmanda out of 27 Muslim MPs. The Diplomat’s 22 November 2022 report ‘How and Why, the BJP Sometimes Courts Muslim Voters’ According to, BJP in UP woos Pasmanda in the name of ‘social justice’. But overall Indian Express report 2024 ‘Why is the BJP shy away from fielding Muslim candidates’ According to , BJP fields less Muslim candidates because the chances of winning are less.

scroll.in’s 14 December 2023 report ‘The BJP and the Muslim Voter’ According to BJP shows ‘inclusivity’ to Sufis and Pasmandas, but never leaves Hindutva.

Question 5- Does BJP benefit from this, if yes then how much?
answer- Yes. In the 2020 Bihar elections, BJP-NDA won 125 seats with 43.17% vote share, while the Grand Alliance won 110 seats with 38.75% vote share. According to Al Jazeera, polarization in Muslim areas like Seemanchal resulted in BJP getting 4/18 seats. Voting is still left in 2025, but the issue of infiltrator is spreading and working in Bihar. Giriraj Singh’s Hindu Swabhiman Yatra has increased polarization.

Rashid Kidwai says, BJP benefits from 80-20 split. But there are some limitations because it drives away tribal voters. Yet in 2019, BJP had won majority in the Lok Sabha with 31% votes and polarization had increased the votes by more than 5%. Now BJP can benefit from this in the coming elections also. But the margin of victory and defeat may remain less.

From India’s first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all the big leaders contested elections from two seats simultaneously. There are many reasons for this, including the fear of losing the elections and the dominance of the party. Not only this, there is also a law regarding this in the Constitution. Now the news of Tejashwi Yadav contesting on two seats in Bihar Assembly elections is also strong.

So let us understand in ABP Explainer why big leaders contest elections together on two seats, what is the strategy of elections on two seats and what are its advantages and disadvantages…

Question 1- What is the law for contesting elections on multiple seats simultaneously in India?
answer- Under Section 33(7) of the Representation of the People Act 1951, a candidate can contest from two seats simultaneously in a Lok Sabha or Assembly election. If he wins both the seats, he has to vacate one seat in 14 days. If any candidate does not do this then both the seats are considered vacant under Section 70. In by-elections the party has to field candidates again, which is sometimes risky.

Election Commission of India i.e. ECI told the Supreme Court in 2018 that this rule should be changed to limit it to one seat, so that wastage of resources and voter disappointment is reduced.

Question 2- When did the practice of contesting elections from two seats simultaneously start and which leaders have done this?
answer- This practice started with the first Lok Sabha elections of India in 1951-52. Jawaharlal Nehru presented the first example of this.

• In 1952, Vishnu Ghanshyam Deshpande had won by contesting elections simultaneously from Guna and Gwalior in Central India. He was the General Secretary of All India Hindu Mahasabha. Deshpande was the first leader who won by contesting elections on two seats simultaneously. He kept Guna seat with himself and left Gwalior seat.
• In 1971, Indira Gandhi also contested elections from two seats simultaneously – Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh) and Medak (Andhra Pradesh) and won both the seats. Indira Gandhi kept Medak for herself and by-election was held in Rae Bareli, in which Arun Nehru won.
• In 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee also contested elections from two seats. He won from both Gwalior and Bhopal seats of Madhya Pradesh. He left Bhopal seat by keeping Gwalior. By-elections were held in Bhopal, in which BJP lost.
• In 2004, Sonia Gandhi contested the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) and Bellary (Karnataka) and won both the seats. She retained Amethi and by-elections were held in Bellary, in which Congress lost.
• In 2014, Narendra Modi also gambled on two seats. He won the seats of Vadodara in Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi kept the Varanasi seat and by-elections were held in Vadodara, in which BJP’s Ranjanben Dhananjay won.

• In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi also contested from two seats – Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) and Wayanad (Kerala). He won from Wayanad and lost from Amethi.
• Akhilesh Yadav also contested from two seats (Kannauj and Mainpuri) in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. They won both the seats. He kept Mainpuri seat and left Kannauj seat. A by-election was held on this, where wife Dimple Yadav won.

Now Tejashwi Yadav can also contest from two seats in Bihar Assembly elections. One could be Raghopur and the other Phulparas.

Question 3- Why do big leaders contest elections on more than one seat in Indian politics?
answer- According to senior journalist and political expert Harshvardhan Tripathi, there are two big reasons for this…

1. Strengthening your and your party’s image: By contesting elections on two seats, leaders strengthen their own and the party’s image. This increases their popularity and influence of the party, strengthens the vote bank and regional base. Like in 2014, PM Modi gave a boost to BJP in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh by fighting from Vadodara and Varanasi.
2. Fear of losing elections: Leaders fear that if they lose on one seat, they can secure a place in Parliament or Assembly by winning from another seat. This way they are not thrown out of the House. For a politician, it is a real fight to remain in the House. Like in 2019, Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi, but won from Wayanad.

Question 4- What are the benefits of contesting elections on more than one seat?
answer- According to Harshvardhan Tripathi, it has 3 major benefits…

• Worker Mobilization: If a big leader contests elections on more than one seat, then the workers of that area get mobilized, that is, their enthusiasm increases and they become fully active in the elections. This also improves the image of the leader, because he reaches that area with his entire army.
• Improving electoral environment: Contesting elections on two seats improves the electoral environment, that is, the environment becomes in favor of that leader. This also shows the strength of the leader that he campaigns on two seats simultaneously and tries his best to win. This creates its positive effect.
• Advantages of political party: This also benefits the party, because his name and popularity attracts votes in many areas, which gives support to other candidates of the party. With a big leader contesting elections, the party’s publicity increases in that area and the electoral environment becomes favorable for it. For example, in 2004, Sonia Gandhi helped Congress increase its campaign in Karnataka by contesting elections from Bellary.

Question 5- Are there any disadvantages of contesting elections on more than one seat?
answer- According to political expert Rashid Kidwai, there are 3 major disadvantages of this practice…

• By-election expenses: By-election is held when one seat is left, the expenditure of which runs into crores. According to ECI, more than Rs 50 crore was spent on such by-elections from 2004 to 2018.
• Broken trust of voters: When a leader leaves a seat, the voters of that area are disappointed. Like in 2004, Bellary voters made Sonia Gandhi victorious, but BJP won the by-election after she left the seat.
• Weapon of opposition: Opposition parties promote it by calling it ‘greed’ or ‘cheating’. Like in 2019, BJP had raised questions on Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad-Amethi. BJP had said about Rahul Gandhi that he is betraying the public by contesting elections from two seats.

Question 6- Will this practice end in the coming time?
answer- Rashid Kidwai says, ‘The law of contesting elections from two seats simultaneously is in the Constitution, due to which the Constitution will have to be amended to change it. This will happen after the consensus of the parties and everyone’s consent. There is no problem or flaw in contesting elections from two seats simultaneously. This system is not going to harm anyone. However, the money spent in this is definitely a problem. But black money is useful for the parties.

At the same time, Harshvardhan Tripathi believes, ‘This practice should end. This practice is a waste of time and money. If a leader wins both the seats and leaves one seat, then it becomes the responsibility of the Election Commission to conduct elections on it. This upsets the public and also breaks their trust.