In a show of strength for the opposition in Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched the "Voter Adhikar Yatra" from Sasaram, with key allies joining the march. The 16-day, 1,300-km yatra, which aims to highlight alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, is being pitched by the Opposition-led INDIA bloc as a fight to protect the principle of "one person, one vote" ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
The yatra commenced with a mega rally at Suara Hawai Adda Maidan in Sasaram, drawing large numbers of party workers and supporters of the INDIA bloc. Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and other Mahagathbandhan politicians, embarked on the yatra in a jeep driven by Yadav, sending a message of unity within the opposition ranks. The march will cover 20 districts, including Gaya, Bhagalpur, Purnea, Darbhanga, and West Champaran, combining foot marches and road travel. The yatra will conclude with a grand rally in Patna on September 1.
Rahul Gandhi has accused the ruling BJP of attempting to manipulate elections across India and conspiring to "steal" the Bihar elections through the SIR exercise. He alleged that assembly and Lok Sabha polls were being "stolen" across the country, with the BJP using the SIR to delete and add voters to rig the elections in Bihar. Gandhi also launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC), accusing it of colluding with the BJP to steal polls. He claimed that while he was asked to submit an affidavit after his press conference exposing "vote chori," no such demand was made from BJP leaders who made claims in their press conferences.
Tejashwi Yadav has backed Rahul Gandhi's campaign, calling it a fight to protect democracy and the right to vote. He accused the BJP of "misusing constitutional institutions" and asserted that Bihar, often called the cradle of democracy, would not remain silent. Other INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) Chief Mukesh Sahani, have also voiced their support for the yatra and attacked the BJP and the EC.
The opposition alleges that the SIR process, which has reportedly deleted over 6.5 million names from the electoral rolls, is a deliberate attempt to tamper with votes, disproportionately affecting backward communities, minorities, and migrant workers. Some voters have claimed that the EC is conducting the SIR in haste and that the names of eligible voters have been deleted.
The BJP has dismissed the yatra as a ploy to mislead voters ahead of the polls, with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary accusing the Congress and its alliance partners of undermining the credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI). He said that the SIR of the voter lists is a transparent process aimed at ensuring electoral integrity, and the Opposition's campaign is merely a tactic to deflect from their weak electoral prospects. Janata Dal (United) national spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad described the yatra as a deliberate attempt by Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc to unleash chaos ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, predicting a resounding victory for the NDA in the upcoming polls.
Amidst the political showdown, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has asked Rahul Gandhi to either submit his allegations of vote theft in a sworn affidavit within seven days or apologize to the nation. Kumar termed the allegations of discrepancies in the electoral roll as "misinformation," saying that there was no evidence. He stated that the issues raised by parties over the years would be solved by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
