New Delhi: In the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has announced the launch of the Voter Adhikar Yatra from August 17, aimed at opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi called the yatra a “direct fight against vote theft,” urging citizens to join what he described as a nationwide people’s movement to safeguard democratic principles. “This is not just about an election—it’s a decisive battle to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the principle of ‘one person, one vote,’” he wrote.
According to Gandhi, the campaign will focus on ensuring transparent voter lists and preventing alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. “Youth, workers, farmers—every citizen must rise. This time, it will be the defeat of vote thieves and the victory of the people,” he added.
The announcement comes amid continued protests by the INDIA bloc and the Congress’ sustained allegations of “vote chori” (vote theft) against the ruling party, accusing the Election Commission of ignoring concerns raised over the SIR process in Bihar.
Earlier, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal revealed that the party will stage a ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodd’ rally at 8 pm on August 14 across all districts in India. The event, he said, will be followed by state-level rallies between August 21 and September 7.
The Congress has also outlined a nationwide signature drive from September 15 to October 15, targeting the collection of five crore signatures, which will be presented to the Election Commission of India.
These decisions were finalised after a recent strategy meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi, which was attended by party general secretaries and state in-charges.
The SIR controversy has added another flashpoint to the political battle ahead of the Bihar polls, with the Congress positioning its campaign as both an electoral and constitutional fight.
