Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will launch the 'Vote Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar on Sunday, alleging irregularities and discrepancies in the intensive electoral roll revision underway in Bihar.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav will also join Gandhi during the launch of statewide yatra from Sasaram on Sunday. Leaders of Left parties and other INDIA bloc leaders are expected to attend the launch of the yatra and march along with Gandhi.
"This is the fight to protect the most fundamental democratic right - ‘one person, one vote'," said Gandhi in a post on X. The Congress leader said the 16-day yatra will travel through 25 districts in Bihar, covering over 1,300 kilometres.
The Rahul Gandhi-led opposition has been targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission over alleged discrepancies in the electoral roll. Gandhi charged the Commission fudged electoral rolls in favour of the BJP. The Congress and opposition has been alleging the special electoral roll revision underway in Bihar will lead to disenfranchisement of over 65 lakh voters.
Former Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said Gandhi is likely to spend a fortnight in the state and the rally will conclude in Patna on September 1.
"All the necessary permission has been obtained from the authorities concerned for the yatra. The yatra will build a tempo in favour of the INDIA bloc ahead of the assembly polls," the Rajya Sabha MP 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," said Singh, detailing the need for the yatra.
Singh claimed all political parties except Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP leaders, including NDA ally Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, have raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the electoral roll.
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The yatra, which begins on Sunday, will break on August 20,25 and 31. Starting from Sasaram, the yatra will pass through key districts including Aurangabad, Nalanda, Gaya, Gopalganj and conclude at Patna, the state capital.
Meanwhile, the RJD has launched a two-and-a-half-minute campaign song, 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.
