Patna: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and other Mahagathbandhan leaders will hold a foot march here on Monday, marking the culmination of their ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ that covered about 1,300 km and passed through over 110 Assembly constituencies in what was seen as a prelude to a high-octane Assembly polls campaign in the state.
Gandhi, Yadav, CPI-ML’s Dipankar Bhattacharya and Vikassheel Insan Party’s Mukesh Sahani travelled together in an open jeep throughout the
Yatra as they displayed unity and took the message of alleged “vote chori” to different corners of the state.
“Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor” slogans reverberated as the Yatra navigated through 25 districts of the state with the leaders addressing gatherings daily at various points in which the messaging was unambiguous - alleging that “the Election Commission and the BJP are colluding to steal votes through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar”.
“The Voter Adhikar Yatra will conclude with a massive Yatra in Patna, from Gandhi Maidan to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Statue, Ambedkar Park, giving a fitting culmination to a Yatra that has touched millions,” Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said on X.
“The people of Bihar have given unprecedented support to the Voter Adhikar Yatra embarked upon by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ji, Ex-deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav ji and the entire Mahagathbandhan,” he said.
For a state that has seen historic deprivation and hardships, the threat of their one true power -- the right to vote -- being stolen was unimaginable, Venugopal said.
“The fear they had in their hearts needed comforting, and the Yatra came in as a ray of hope against the blatant destruction of democracy being orchestrated in the name of SIR,” he said.
Spanning 25 districts, visiting over 110 Assembly constituencies and covering more than 1300 km, this Yatra has been a “milestone in Bihar’s rich history of people’s movements”, the Congress leader said.
“Respected leaders from across the country who believed in our cause joined and gave greater strength - including sitting CMs of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, as well as other senior leaders like Akhilesh ji and Priyanka Gandhi ji,” he said.