Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav to flag off ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar today
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, joined by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, will on Sunday flag off the ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram in Bihar to highlight what the opposition calls an assault on the people’s right to vote in the state.
“What greater irony can there be in a democracy than people being deprived of their freedom to vote and choose their government? We assure you all that we will fight with full determination for your right to vote. To raise this voice and seek justice, we are starting the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from August 17,” Tejashwi wrote on X.
The 16-day yatra, modelled on Gandhi’s earlier Bharat Jodo campaigns, will begin at the Suvara Airstrip (BIADA Ground) in Sasaram at 11:30 am. From there, the convoy will move through other towns and localities, reaching Aurangabad by evening, where Gandhi is scheduled to address a public gathering at Ramesh Chowk.
Covering 1,300 kilometres across the state, the yatra will have three scheduled breaks on August 20, 25 and 31.
Party insiders said the necessary approvals have been secured from the authorities.
“The yatra will build a tempo in favour of the INDIA bloc ahead of the assembly polls,” they said.
The march will culminate on September 1 with a grand rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, where Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav and RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav will jointly address the public. Leaders from the Left parties and other INDIA alliance constituents are also expected to attend, marking the formal launch of the bloc’s election campaign in Bihar.
According to Congress leaders, the yatra will be conducted in a hybrid mode—partly on foot and partly by vehicle—reflecting Gandhi’s earlier yatras. It is designed both as a show of strength and an organisational push in Bihar, where Gandhi recently appointed Krishna Alavaru as state in-charge and replaced state Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh with Dalit MLA Rajesh Ram.
During the yatra, Gandhi is expected to focus on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls in Bihar, which led to the deletion of around 65 lakh voter names. He is also likely to flag concerns of alleged voter manipulation in Karnataka.
Top News