Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will join INDIA bloc allies in Bihar for a fortnight-long ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ beginning on August 17, aimed at opposing the revision of electoral rolls and mobilising a state-wide movement against what they term “vote chori”.
Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said the campaign would take the fight for the right to vote “to the streets”, calling the exercise a direct challenge to the democratic fabric.
“Starting August 17th, LOP Sh Rahul Gandhi ji and INDIA parties will embark on a massive Vote Adhikar Yatra across Bihar — against the dangerous SIR exercise, and to make the battle against Vote Chori a mass movement!” Venugopal posted on X.
Venugopal, who met INDIA bloc leaders in Sasaram on Wednesday to assess preparations, said mobilisation and coordination for the march were in full swing. The yatra is scheduled to culminate on September 01 with a rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
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On Tuesday, the Congress described “vote chori” as a “do-or-die” issue, unveiling a roadmap to take its allegations directly to the people through public marches, rallies and campaigns. The plan, cleared after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s meeting with party office-bearers, includes ‘Loktantra bachao mashaal marches’ across all district headquarters on August 14, the eve of Independence Day.
AICC in-charge of the National Students’ Union of India Kanhaiya Kumar said the party would follow this up with “vote chor, gaddi chhorh” rallies in all state capitals between August 22 and September 7, and a signature campaign from September 15 to October 15 to “save the right to vote and ensure people’s participation”.
“Between September 15 and October 15, a signature campaign will be run to save the right to vote and ensure people's participation,” Kumar said, adding, “The whole INDIA bloc is together on this.”
The opposition has also stepped up protests in Parliament against the Election Commission’s revision of rolls, alleging that the exercise is intended to disenfranchise voters in Bihar ahead of the Assembly polls later this year. They have demanded a debate in both Houses.
Last week, Gandhi alleged that more than one lakh votes were “stolen” during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly segment through “five types of manipulation”.
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