Rahul Gandhi Kickstarts 'Vote Rights March' in Bihar, India; INDIA Bloc Coalition Partners Rally Alongside Campaign
The Vote Adhikar Yatra, a 16-day campaign across 23 districts in Bihar, has emerged as a major flashpoint ahead of the upcoming elections. Led by Rahul Gandhi and supported by Mahagathbandhan allies, including RJD, the yatra aims to ensure no voter is excluded from the electoral process.
Launched on August 17, 2025, the yatra is scheduled to conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1, 2025, after covering over 20 districts. The campaign is a response to allegations of voter rights violations, particularly the alleged manipulation of the voter roll by the Election Commission of India (ECI) through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav of RJD, have emphasized that the electoral roll revisions have led to unjust removal of voters' names, potentially disenfranchising legitimate voters. Congress and its allies accuse the ECI of enabling "vote theft," suggesting that such manipulation is being used to influence election outcomes favoring the ruling BJP.
During the yatra, leaders have highlighted cases of people declared "dead" in electoral rolls yet still alive and voting, symbolizing the alleged flawed voter list revisions. The yatra is a protest against these actions, aiming to preserve the constitutional right of "one person, one vote."
The Election Commission of India maintains that the SIR was conducted to eliminate dead, duplicate, or migrated voters to ensure a clean electoral roll. However, the opposition alleges that the process was manipulated to advantage the BJP. So far, the Commission has not publicly acknowledged any wrongdoing related to these allegations.
In response to these allegations, Rahul Gandhi claimed to have evidence of irregularities during the roll revision exercise, citing voter data from Karnataka's Mahadevapura constituency. He accused the poll body of colluding with the BJP, escalating the standoff. However, the EC strongly denied the allegations and asked Gandhi to submit an affidavit formalising his complaint. Gandhi refused, saying he had already sworn an oath to the Constitution.
The Vote Adhikar Yatra continues to draw attention to these voter roll issues as Bihar prepares for elections, with opposition leaders actively rallying to protect voter rights. Tejashwi Yadav, a leader from RJD, urged mass participation in the yatra, releasing a campaign song on social media to appeal for public support. The yatra is a fight to protect the democratic principle of "one person, one vote" and has been aimed at protesting alleged voter roll manipulation by the Election Commission.
- The Vote Adhikar Yatra, a campaign focusing on 'politics' and 'policy-and-legislation', has sparked controversy over allegations of voter rights violations, particularly in the context of 'war-and-conflicts' and 'migration'.
- As the yatra sheds light on the 'general-news' of voter roll manipulation allegedly favoring the ruling BJP, sports like cricket and other cultural events often used to unite the nation have become secondary conversations.
- The yatra's emphasis on 'healthy' democratic practices and maintenance of 'sportsmanship' in the electoral process underlines the importance of fairness and transparency in every aspect of a nation's governance.
