Bihar: Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi lead Patna march as INDIA bloc protests voter list 'votebandi' drive

Bihar witnessed a major political showdown as the INDIA alliance, led by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, launched a massive protest march from Patna’s Income Tax Golambar to the Election Commission’s office. The protest, part of the statewide Bihar Bandh, aims to oppose the ongoing voter list revision exercise, which the opposition has termed “votebandi”—an alleged BJP-backed move to disenfranchise poor, Dalit, and backward voters.Leaders from Congress, RJD, Left parties, and VIP joined the march, displaying rare opposition unity. Rahul Gandhi, who arrived from Delhi, climbed onto the protest truck with Tejashwi and others, as slogans of “Vote Bachao, Loktantra Bachao” echoed.Police had set up barricades to restrict the protest’s movement towards the Election Commission. Though permission was denied for the final leg, the leaders are determined to proceed. The INDIA bloc accuses the Election Commission of working under BJP’s influence and warns that the hurried revision could disenfranchise genuine voters ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.

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