Indian LoP Rahul Gandhi’s 16-Day, 1300 KM Vote Adhikar Yatra Brings Bharat Jodo Padyatra Model to Poll-Bound Bihar
India's Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will launch the “Vote Adhikar Yatra” from Sasaram in Bihar tomorrow; the 16–day march will cover Dehri on Sone in Rohtas; Kutumba, Aurangabad, Deo and Guraru; Punama Wazirganj, Gaya to Barbigha via Nawada; Sheikhpura to Munger via Sikandra and Jamui; Munger to Bhagalpur via Sultanganj; Kursela to Purnia via Korha and Katihar; Purnia to Narpatganj via Chandni Chowk and Araria; Supaul to Darbhanga via Phulparas, Sakri and Madhubani; Darbhanga to Sitamarhi via Muzaffarpur; Sitamarhi to West Champaran via Motihari; West Champaran to Siwan via Gopalganj; Chapra, Saran to Arrah in Bhojpur, culminating in Patna on September 1 -- a 1,300 kilometre route that opposition leaders say is meant to safeguard the very soul of Indian democracy itself.
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| Image Source: INC India |
He added that the campaign is about saving the Constitution, urging citizens to join.
The Congress has positioned the yatra as a follow-up to Rahul Gandhi’s earlier Bharat Jodo Yatra, which, despite initial skepticism, became a landmark political event that helped reset his public image and mobilise support before the 2019 general elections. The Yatra, which was headlined by Rahul Gandhi, resulted in a closely contested Lok Sabha Polls and helped elevate the public perception of the Congress party.
Mahagathbandhan allies have also lent support. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that the march will spread awareness to ensure no voter’s name is left out.
He added, “We will visit several districts, and our effort will be to make people aware so that no voter’s name is left out.” He released a campaign song on social media to rally participation, writing that no citizen should be deprived of their rights and that the “feeling of freedom should not be broken.”
The initiative comes after weeks of confrontation with the Election Commission, which announced a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar just months ahead of assembly elections. Opposition parties have called the exercise “Votebandi” and alleged that it could suppress democratic participation.
Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi claimed to have an “atom bomb” of evidence against the poll body, citing data from the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka.
He accused the Commission of collusion with the BJP. The Election Commission rejected the allegations and asked Gandhi to submit a signed affidavit to formalise the complaint.
He refused, stating that he had already sworn an oath to the Constitution.
The Congress says the Vote Adhikar Yatra is part of a larger struggle to safeguard democracy at a time when electoral fairness has, according to the party, become a matter of intense dispute.
The culmination in Patna on September 1 is expected to bring together the party’s national leadership, Mahagathbandhan allies, and civil society groups, turning the march into both a symbolic and practical challenge to the Election Commission’s authority in Bihar.