Rahul, INDIA bloc leaders to embark upon ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ across Bihar

NEW DELHI: Stepping up its campaign against alleged “vote chori” in a bid to make it a mass movement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with INDIA bloc leaders in Bihar will embark on a ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ across the poll-bound state starting August 17 against the revision of electoral rolls, the party said on Wednesday.

Congress general secretary in-charge K C Venugopal announced the yatra on X and said the fight to protect our democracy will take place on the streets.

“Starting August 17th, LOP Sh Rahul Gandhi ji and INDIA parties will embark on a massive Vote Adhikar Yatra across Bihar -- against the dangerous SIR exercise, and to make the battle against Vote Chori a mass movement!” he said.

In this context, Venugopal said he met INDIA bloc leaders in Sasaram on Wednesday to assess the preparation, mobilisation and set up smooth coordination for the yatra. The yatra will culminate on September 1 with a rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.

The Congress on Tuesday had claimed that “vote chori” was a “do-or-die” issue for it, and announced a roadmap to take its allegations to the people through various activities, including “Loktantra bachao mashaal marches” on August 14. The assertion was made after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting with party general secretaries, in-charges and heads of its frontal organisations.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Congress leader and AICC in-charge of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Kanhaiya Kumar had said that going forward, the Congress will take this to the people with three important programmes.

On August 14, the eve of Independence Day, there will be a ‘Loktantra bachao mashaal march’ at all district headquarters, Kumar said, adding that between August 22 and September 7, the Congress will hold “vote chor, gaddi chhorh (vote thieves, relinquish power)” rallies in all state headquarters. “Between September 15 and October 15, a signature campaign will be run to save the right to vote and ensure people’s participation,” he had said, while asserting that the whole INDIA bloc is together on this.

Last Thursday, Gandhi cited data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to claim that more than 1 lakh votes were “stolen” through five types of manipulation in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka.

The opposition has been also protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the revision of electoral rolls, alleging that the EC’s exercise is aimed at “disenfranchising voters” in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections due later this year. They have been demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses. The Congress also released a new video depicting how fake votes were being cast and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge asked people to raise their voice and save constitutional institutions from the “clutches of the BJP”. Rahul Gandhi also shared the minute-long video and said, “Aapke vote ki chori aapke adhikar ki chori, aapki pehchaan ki chori hai.”

Tagging the advertisement titled “booth par vote chori”, Congress president Kharge said, “Do not let your rights to vote be snatched away. Ask questions, demand answers this time! Raise your voice against vote chori.”

“Free constitutional institutions from the clutches of the BJP,” he said in his message to the people on X. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also shared the video on X, and said, “The theft of your vote is theft of your rights, theft of your identity.” “Save your right to vote, Raise your voice against vote theft,” she said.

The video made by the Congress depicts a family entering a polling booth with two people telling them that their votes have already been cast by them and it ends with the two persons casting fake votes showing a thumbs up to an officer sitting at the table with “election chori aayog” display plate on his table. The Congress has also launched a web portal for people to register and demand accountability from the poll panel against what it called “vote chori” and express support for the demand for digital voter rolls. On Monday, opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Pawar, had taken out a protest march from the Parliament House to the Election Commission office against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged “vote chori”, but were stopped midway by the police and briefly detained amid high drama.