Rahul Gandhi kicks off ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra'
The campaign, aimed at protesting Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list and what the Congress calls 'vote chori,' began from Sasaram and will culminate with a rally in Patna on 1 September.
The yatra began from Bihar's Sasaram, with several leaders such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Kanhaiya Kumar and senior RJD leaders, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, joining Gandhi for the launch.
Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, wrote: '16 days, 20+ districts, 1,300+ km. We are coming among the people with the Voter Adhikar Yatra. This is a fight to protect the most basic democratic right – 'one person, one vote'. Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution.' The route will take Gandhi through Aurangabad, Gaya, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Munger, Bhagalpur, Purnea, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Champaran, Siwan, Chapra and Arrah, before concluding in Patna.
During the event, the Congress MP vowed to expose 'vote chori' and added that the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar was a 'conspiracy' by the Election Commission.
The entire country knows what the Election Commission is doing. Earlier, the country did not know how votes were being stolen. But we made it clear in the press conference how votes are being stolen. Whenever the theft is happening, whether in Bihar, Maharashtra, Assam, Bengal, we will catch the theft and working to show it to the people," said Gandhi.
"I am telling you from this stage that Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections are being stolen in the entire country. Their latest conspiracy is to conduct SIR in Bihar and steal the Bihar elections as well by cutting the new votes and adding fake ones. All of us have come to this stage to tell you that we will not let them steal this election," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Opposition VS BJP over Bihar's SIR drive: INDIA bloc mulls motion to impeach CEC over 'bias and irregularity'
The parliamentary floor leaders of the INDIA bloc on Monday discussed the option of submitting a notice for an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging bias and irregularity in his conduct of elections, especially the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar. The notice proposal was made at the INDIA bloc leaders' meeting by Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh and some of his colleagues and is being seen by many Opposition leaders as a Congress response to CEC's aggressive rebuff at a press conference of the leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi 's 'vote theft' charge and his dismissal of the Opposition's grouse against the SIR-drive in Bihar. While the Opposition can easily arrange the required signatures for submitting the notice, their project faces uncertainty in getting past the Chair's scrutiny given the strict conditions, defying reasons, laid out to accept such notices against the CEC or the Chief Justice of India. On the possibility of the Opposition bringing a notice for the impeachment motion, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, "There was a discussion about it with a larger unity. We will take the appropriate decision at the appropriate time." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like NRIs Living In Croatia Are Eligible For INR 2 Lakh Monthly Pension. Invest 18K/Month Get Offer Undo Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD said, "We are keeping all parliamentary and legal options open." Even if the Opposition brings the notice in the coming days, the issue is unlikely to take off in the remaining days of this Parliament session. "The CEC offered no comment or clarification on why the Bihar SIR was being conducted in such a hasty, ill-prepared and ad hoc manner," said a joint statement issued by a group of INDIA bloc MPs at a presser. Live Events They also said that the CEC didn't make any clarification on Gandhi's charges of fake voters in a Karnataka assembly constituency or reason for not probing the matter. "ECI has completely failed in discharging its constitutional duty of ensuring a free and fair electoral system in the country," they alleged.
NDTV
30 minutes ago
- NDTV
Haryana Rights Panel Cites Shakespeare After Aadhaar Record Shows Living Man Dead
Chandigarh: The Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken suo-motu cognizance of a media report highlighting an incident where a serving employee of the Public Health Department, a resident of Rohtak, was allegedly denied his salary in the post-COVID period because his Aadhaar record shows him as "deceased". This is despite the fact that he is alive and continues to discharge his duties regularly. As a result of this administrative lapse, the employee has reportedly been deprived of his lawful remuneration for an extended period. Upon review, the Commission observed that the Public Health Department failed to update the employee's record on the HKRN portal, despite being aware that the "deceased" status in Aadhaar was erroneous. This inaction has caused the complainant prolonged financial hardship and mental agony, undermining his right to work with dignity and creating unnecessary uncertainty. The Commission expressed concern that such errors can severely affect an individual's livelihood, confidence, and peace of mind. The full bench of the Commission, comprising Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, noted that such treatment appears contrary to Article 7 of the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which recognises the right to just and favourable conditions of work, including remuneration ensuring a decent living for workers and their families. The non-payment of wages for work performed constitutes a violation of the employee's human rights, particularly the right to livelihood and dignity as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and reaffirmed in international human rights instruments. The department's inaction amounts to an arbitrary deprivation of earnings, impairing the complainant's ability to support himself and his family. Reflecting on the situation, the Commission recalled a sentiment from Shakespeare's famous play 'Julius Caesar' that 'sometimes the dead may exert greater influence than the living'. However, the Commission observed that the present case revealed a stark inversion of that idea: a man undeniably alive, diligently performing his duties, is being officially treated as deceased. This erroneous classification not only deprived him of his rightful wages but also subjected him to indignity and unnecessary hardship. Ignoring the service of a living employee in such a manner is an administrative failure that the Commission cannot overlook. Finding prima facie evidence of administrative negligence and violation of the complainant's rights, the Commission directed immediate action to restore the employee's salary, correct all records, and ensure that no employee faces such an anomalous and unjust situation in the future. The Commission has called for a report on the necessary corrections to the Aadhaar record of the complainant from the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rohtak, and the Commissioner and Secretary, Citizen Resources Information Department (CRID), before the next hearing on September 23.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Odisha ready for SIR, may be held in Sept-Oct
Bhubaneswar: Odisha is planning to conduct a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Sept-Oct, after a gap of 24 years, authorities said on Monday. "The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already stated that this (SIR) will be conducted in every state. We are prepared, although we have not received any concrete timeline so far," chief electoral officer (CEO) R S Gopalan said while commenting on the state's plan during an informal interacting with the media. "Normally, around Sept-Oct, a summary revision of the voter list is done. The ECI will decide soon whether SIR will be conducted around the same time this year," he said amid an intense political debate over the SIR in Bihar. As part of the SIR, voters will have to fill out an enumeration form, which can be done physically or online, Gopalan said. The SIR involves door-to-door verification of voters and rationalisation of booths. As part of the electoral roll revision, the number of polling booths in Odisha will increase by 7,000 from 38,000 to 45,000, the CEO added. Gopalan said since 90% of voters in Odisha are Aadhaar-linked, there is a very low chance of large-scale discrepancies after the exercise is completed by Jan. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo by Taboola by Taboola Recently, Odisha changed the EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) numbers of 7,000 voters as the numbers were identical to those of voters in some other states, he said. As part of preparations for the SIR exercise, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja had last month asked the department concerned and district administrations to ensure various posts related to the exercise, such as district election officer, electoral registration officer (ERO), and assistant EROs, are not vacant. Officers occupying these positions would not be transferred without EC approval. According to the existing voter list, as of Jan 1, Odisha has a total of 3.40 crore voters, including 1.72 crore men, 1.68 crore women and 3,434 other voters. The voters include 15 lakh in the 18-19 age group and 6.7 lakh who are 80 years and above. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
