Rahul Gandhi to launch 'Vote Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar from Aug 17, to cover more than 20 district in 16 days

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday announced 'Vote Adikar Yatra' in Bihar to make people aware of the alleged assault on the right to vote through the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state.

Gandhi took to social media platform X to announce the schedule of the 'yatra'. "16 days 20+ districts 1,300+ km We are coming among the people with the Voter Rights Yatra. This is the fight to protect the most fundamental democratic right - ‘one person, one vote.’ Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution," he wrote.



The journey will begin on August 17 and will end on September 1.

Earlier in the day, former Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said Gandhi is likely to be in the state for over a fortnight till the ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ concludes with a rally in Patna on September 1.

“Tomorrow, Gandhi will launch the yatra from Sasaram. All the necessary permission has been obtained from the authorities concerned. The yatra will build a tempo in favour of the INDIA bloc ahead of the assembly polls,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

He said that Gandhi is likely to stay in Bihar for 15 days, leading the yatra covering 25 districts in the state with three “break days” on August 20, 25 and 31.

“At Sasaram, Rahul Gandhi is likely to be joined by Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar, besides our other alliance partners, including three Left parties. For the final rally in Patna on September 1, we will try to bring leaders of as many like-minded parties as possible,” Singh said.

“We have been left with no option, but to hit the streets. Our pleas for a discussion on the sensitive issue in Parliament have fallen on deaf ears. The behaviour of the Election Commission reminds us of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s warning that the Constitution faced the greatest threat from those who were either stupid or cunning,” he said.

Most parties, including NDA partner like Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, have raised concerns over the special intensive revision, as part of which names of “lakhs of people have been deleted from the electoral rolls”, Singh said.

“Only two parties, the BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), have not spoken a word on the issue. In any case, the government headed by Kumar, who has an alliance with the BJP, is all set to be voted out in the upcoming elections. The people of the state are fed up with the current regime,” he added.

Meanwhile, RJD launched a song with with lyrics in a mix of Hindi and Bhojpuri in a bid to project the key role Tejashwi Yadav is expected to play in the yatra. In the video of the song, Yadav is seen sharing the space with Gandhi, and hailed as a leader who was vigilant and willing to rouse the people, and ensure “nobody’s right to vote is snatched and the spirit of freedom is never lost”.