BJP Springs Into Action After Voter Adhikaar Yatra

Congress and RJD are presenting the BJP’s Bihar bandh and the BJP core committee meeting in Delhi as proof of the INDIA bloc’s Voter Adhikaar (Rights) Yatra’s success.

According to leaders of the INDIA alliance, the 16-day Voter Adhikaar (Rights) Yatra against the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) process drew such massive crowds that it rattled the BJP.

On September 3, at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi, Bihar BJP leaders discussed seat-sharing, campaigning, and taking the development narrative to every household. But the meeting also focused on the feedback from the Yatra—crowd turnout, public response, the possible impact, and whether it influenced voters.

After the meeting, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said, “We discussed the confusion being spread by the opposition. It was decided that NDA will organise worker conferences in every assembly constituency, with senior leaders from both the state and the centre. These conferences will conclude by September 25, and campaign committees will be formed to intensify electioneering.”

But just before this meeting, Union Minister and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi stirred politics by demanding 20 seats. NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha too hinted that his party must be given respectable seats. Meanwhile, Chirag Paswan’s repeated attacks on Nitish Kumar and his statement about contesting all seats in Bihar have already been at the centre of debate.

Observers, however, believe that the Voter Adhikaar (Rights) Yatra has strengthened the Indian bloc unity. Before the Yatra, statements over seat-sharing were frequent, but those have now stopped.

Clearly, the BJP’s meeting and the growing demands of its allies are being interpreted as signs of both strength and strain within the NDA in response to the INDIA bloc’s campaign.

Bihar BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar dismissed the Yatra, saying, “The SIR issue does not even exist in Bihar. The Yatra was only for Congress’s benefit, aimed at reviving its lost ground. Rahul Gandhi weakened both the RJD and Tejashwi Yadav by making him a follower. While Tejashwi repeatedly projected Rahul as the next PM, Rahul never once declared Tejashwi the CM face of the alliance.” He added that Rahul Gandhi stole Tejashwi’s core issues and silenced him.

While the BJP denies any impact, analysts suggest that the Yatra has indeed benefited the INDIA bloc—though the extent remains open to debate.

Reports suggest that in the Delhi meeting, leaders discussed both the public response to the Yatra and opposition attacks over SIR. The party resolved to aggressively counter these charges, foreground the development agenda, and also focus on the controversy triggered by derogatory remarks made during Rahul Gandhi’s Darbhanga rally about PM Narendra Modi and his mother.

The BJP and JDU even called a Bihar bandh on September 4 over the remarks. PM Modi himself responded for the first time: “My mother had nothing to do with politics. Insulting her is an insult to every mother. Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav must apologise to the nation.”

RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav accused the BJP of double standards, saying, “This is emotional politics to distract from real issues.”

RJD’s chief spokesperson, Shakti Singh Yadav, said the Delhi meeting itself shows the NDA’s nervousness after the Yatra’s success. Mocking the BJP, he added, “The Yatra’s crowds shook their foundation. The chaos they created during the bandh has only exposed them further. Till today, no one knows who actually abused the PM’s mother. None of our leaders or workers did. But the BJP and its media ecosystem are using this diversion to deflect from SIR and other issues. The whole NDA alliance is uncomfortable.”

On the question of a CM face, he said, “There’s no doubt. Tejashwi Yadav has been the CM face since 2020 and will remain so.”

Former AN Sinha Institute, Patna director D.M. Diwakar also argued that the BJP is particularly uneasy about SIR. “Manjhi and Kushwaha’s seat demands stem from the public support the INDIA bloc gained through the Yatra. The BJP underestimated the magnitude of the issue. They assumed the Election Commission would quietly complete the process. They didn’t anticipate opposition pressure or Congress’s detailed data work.”

He added, “BJP has still not understood Bihar’s ground politics, which is why even after so many years it hasn’t projected a clear state leader.” Quoting BBC’s Mark Tully, he said, “If you want to see political awareness, go to Bihar—where a dozen people share a single newspaper.”

Analysts believe the Voter Rights Yatra has put the BJP on the defensive. The Delhi meeting and the Bihar bandh reflect this unease, and the political battle in the coming months is expected to intensify. The INDIA bloc sees momentum from the Voter Rights Yatra, while the BJP dismisses it as hollow. Yet, signs of nervousness in NDA ranks suggest Bihar’s electoral battle is set for a far more intense clash ahead.