SASARAM, BIHAR — Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is set to launch a major campaign in Bihar on Sunday, August 17, with the start of the ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’. The fortnight-long march aims to protest what the party and its allies are calling a “dangerous assault on the people’s right to vote” through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, former state Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh stated that the yatra will continue until it culminates in a massive rally in Patna on September 1. He added that the march will cover 25 districts of Bihar, with three designated “break days” on August 20, 25, and 31.
“Vote Adhikar Yatra” to Unite INDIA Bloc
The yatra is designed to build momentum for the INDIA bloc ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. According to Singh, Rahul Gandhi will be joined by Bihar’s Leader of the Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, as well as leaders from other alliance partners, including the three Left parties, at the launch event in Sasaram. The final rally in Patna is expected to bring together leaders from as many like-minded parties as possible.
The Congress and its allies have been vocal in their criticism of the SIR process, alleging that the names of “lakhs of people have been deleted from the electoral rolls.” Singh highlighted that almost all political parties, including NDA partners like Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s party, have voiced concerns. “Only two parties, the BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), have not spoken a word on the issue,” he claimed. The parties allege that the Election Commission, in its bulk review of voter documents, did not follow the proper procedure, and that the process has led to the exclusion of many genuine voters. The Election Commission has defended the exercise as necessary to purify the rolls.
RJD and Rahul Gandhi to Share the Spotlight
In a move to amplify the message of the yatra, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has released a song in a mix of Hindi and Bhojpuri, projecting Tejashwi Yadav’s key role in the campaign. The song’s video features Yadav sharing the space with Gandhi and praises Yadav as a leader who is vigilant and dedicated to ensuring that “nobody’s right to vote is snatched and the spirit of freedom is never lost.”
The campaign underscores a concerted effort by the INDIA bloc to mobilize public opinion on the issue of electoral integrity, framing it as a fight to save democracy and the Constitution.