Rahul to lead 16-day ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar as Congress intensifies fight against SIR
On Wednesday (August 13, 2025), Mr. Gandhi put out a video on his X handle in which he is seen interacting with a group of voters, who have been declared dead in the SIR exercise, concluded recently. 'There have been many interesting experiences in life, but I never got the chance to have tea with 'dead people'. For this unique experience, thank you, Election Commission!' Mr. Gandhi said.
Taking the fight to ground zero, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal met the INDIA bloc leaders in Sasaram to assess the preparation for the yatra to be led by Mr. Gandhi.
'The fight to protect our democracy will take place on the streets! Starting August 17th, LOP Sh Rahul Gandhi ji and the 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!' Mr. Venugopal said in a X post on Wednesday (August 13, 2025).
Though the Congress is yet to officially announce the exact route, it is tentatively scheduled to pass through 24 districts (of the total 38) and cover nearly 60 of the 243 Assembly seats. The yatra will cross Aurangabad, Gaya, Nalanda, Munger, Purnia, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Katihar, Bhagalpur, Sitamarhi, East and West Champaran, and Gopalganj. Supaul, Siwan, Chhapra and Arrah, among others. Many of these areas have seen a large number of complaints about the deletion of voters in the SIR exercise.
The yatra will conclude with a public rally at Patna's Gandhi Maidan on September 1.
Video launched
On Wednesday (August 13, 2025), the party launched a new video around the alleged theme of vote chori [theft], with the video showing how fake votes were being cast in the name of genuine voters.
'Do not let your right 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,' Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.
'The theft of your vote is the theft of your rights, the theft of your identity!' Mr. Gandhi added.
On Tuesday (August 12, 2025), the party announced a series of programmes under the banner of Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod [Vote thief, vacate the seat].
Candlelight vigil on Aug. 14
On August 14, the party will take out a nationwide candlelight march at 8 p.m. in all districts, followed by 'Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod' rallies in all States between August 22 and September 7, and finally a month-long nationwide signature campaign from September 15 to collect five crore signatures.
But beyond the opposition to the SIR exercise, the Congress is hoping that Mr. Gandhi's yatra would infuse the much-needed energy into the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) and build a momentum for the party in the run-up to the Assembly election later this year.
'If you see the Lok Sabha seats through which Rahulji's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed, the Opposition alliance won several of these seats. We won Sasaram, the Rashtriya Janata Dal won Aurangabad and so on. We are confident that the Congress's fortunes will change with Rahulji's yatra,' veteran Congress leader Kishore Kumar Jha said.
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