Sasaram (Bihar): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the Election Commission of “stealing” elections in collusion with the BJP and warned that the INDIA bloc would not allow such attempts in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls.
Gandhi launched his 1,300 km ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from BIADA Ground in Sasaram, joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, and several Left leaders. The yatra will cover more than 20 districts over 16 days before concluding with a rally in Patna on September 1.
“In the whole country, Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are being stolen, and their latest conspiracy is to delete and add voters through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar,” Gandhi charged. He alleged that while he was asked to submit an affidavit after his press conference on “vote chori,” no such demand was made of BJP leaders who held similar briefings.
The Congress leader claimed that voters were arbitrarily added or deleted in states like Maharashtra, Assam, and West Bengal, benefitting the BJP. He alleged that one crore voters were “added through magic” in Maharashtra, altering election outcomes, and that over one lakh votes were “stolen” in a Karnataka assembly segment in 2024.
“This is a fight to save the Constitution. The RSS and BJP are trying to erase it. Your vote is stolen, and your money is handed over to 5-6 billionaires,” Gandhi said. He asserted that the INDIA bloc would expose what he called the “truth of SIR and vote theft.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP leaders have repeatedly rejected similar allegations in the past, insisting that the Election Commission functions independently. The poll body has also defended the SIR exercise as part of routine electoral roll verification.
Gandhi’s yatra, in hybrid mode with both foot marches and vehicle rallies, will pass through Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Purnea, Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra and Ara.
With Bihar set to go to polls in less than three months, the Congress and its allies hope to mobilise support against the BJP-led government.
