Rahul Gandhi launched the “Vote Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar, a 16-day campaign across 23 districts, to protest alleged voter roll manipulation.
The Yatra, backed by Mahagathbandhan allies including RJD, aims to ensure no voter is excluded; Tejashwi Yadav urged mass participation.
The Election Commission has rejected opposition allegations of collusion with the BJP, setting up a major political flashpoint ahead of the Bihar polls.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched the “Vote Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar, a 16-day campaign across 23 districts aimed at protesting alleged voter roll manipulation by the Election Commission (EC) ahead of the state assembly elections.
The yatra, starting from Sasaram on Sunday, has the support of the Mahagathbandhan allies, including RJD. Gandhi described the campaign as a fight to protect the fundamental democratic principle of “one person, one vote.” “We are bringing the Voter Rights Yatra to the people. This is the fight to protect the most fundamental democratic right,” he said in a post on X, calling on citizens to join the movement to “save the Constitution.”
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who joined Gandhi in launching the campaign, emphasized the need to ensure no voter is excluded. “Our effort will be to make people aware so that no voter’s name is left out. No one should be deprived of his or her rights, no one’s vote should be cut,” he said. Yadav also released a campaign song on social media, appealing for mass participation.
The opposition has accused the EC’s special intensive revision of the electoral roll of being a deliberate attempt at “Votebandi”—a term they argue signals the theft of votes and undermines democracy in the state. The standoff escalated after Gandhi accused the poll body of colluding with the BJP. On August 7, he claimed to have evidence of irregularities during the roll revision exercise, citing voter data from Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency. The EC, however, strongly denied the allegations and asked Gandhi to submit an affidavit formalising his complaint. Gandhi refused, saying he had already sworn an oath to the Constitution.
The Vote Adhikar Yatra has emerged as a major flashpoint ahead of the Bihar elections, with the opposition bloc INDIA seeking to rally public support around the issue of voter rights, while the EC continues to reject charges of bias.
