Congress to Launch ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram, Rahul Gandhi to Lead 16-Day March Against ‘Vote Theft’

Patna: In a sharp escalation of its attack on the Election Commission and the BJP, the Congress party on Saturday announced a 16-day-long ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The march will begin from Sasaram on Sunday and culminate in Patna on September 1 with a massive rally.

Congress leader and AICC Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera said the yatra was designed on the lines of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, with the goal of awakening citizens of poll-bound Bihar about alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

“The journey starting in Bihar from August 17 is a journey to awaken people, because those who conspire will not back down; they will try to steal votes. This is a struggle for the right of ‘one person, one vote,’” Khera told reporters in Delhi.

The Congress has accused the BJP and the Election Commission of colluding in “fraudulent” additions and deletions of voters’ names from the draft rolls. Khera alleged that the BJP was “caught red-handed” trying to manipulate voter lists, and said the Congress would ensure transparency in the entire process.

In a social media post on X, Khera wrote: “It is possible to breathe freely in independent India because we have the power to vote. Rahul Gandhi has started a struggle so that every citizen can breathe freely. The way the game of adding and deleting fake votes was being played, the BJP people have been caught. Now even ordinary citizens are providing evidence of vote theft.”

The yatra will cover around 1,300 kilometres across Bihar, passing through multiple districts before reaching Patna. According to Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi will address citizens throughout the march, urging them to safeguard their democratic rights.

“Whenever Rahul Gandhi ji has set out on a journey, the democracy of this country has taken a turn. The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ will be a historic journey and will prove to be a milestone in the fight for the existence of all of us,” Khera declared.