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Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: Rahul Gandhi's begins Yatra in Bihar; EC to hold press conference
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to kick off his 16-day 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' (Voter Rights March) from Sasaram in Bihar Sunday. Rahul's march comes amidst strident protests being held by the Opposition parties within Parliament and outside over the Election Commission (EC)'s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the Bihar SIR, the Supreme Court, in its interim order Thursday, directed the EC to make available online a searchable list of about 65 lakh voter names omitted from the draft electoral rolls with reasons for their deletion. The march, which is being modelled on Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, will pass through 23 districts, covering 50 Assembly segments in 29 Lok Sabha constituencies across several regions of Bihar. Rahul would traverse a distance of over 1,300 kms during his Yatra, which would be undertaken both on foot and by vehicles. Key faces of the Congress's Mahagathbandhan allies, such as RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, would periodically join Rahul in the course of his march. The Yatra's starting point Sasaram is crucial for the Opposition alliance as it falls in its bastion of Shahabad. It would cross through the Mahagathbandhan's strongholds in the Magadh, Ang, Seemanchal, Mithila, Tirhut and Saran regions, culminating in a rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on September 1. The Assembly segments on the Yatra route are a mix of strongholds and swing seats for the Opposition alliance. In the keenly-fought 2020 Bihar Assembly polls, the incumbent Nitish Kumar-led NDA won the polls by winning 125 seats of the state's 243 as against the Mahagathbandhan's 110 seats. Of the 50 Assembly seats along the Yatra route, the Opposition alliance currently has 21 seats. In 2020, the RJD had contested 23 of these 50 seats and won 12. The Congress had then contested 22 of them, but managed to win only seven. The Left parties together had contested five seats, winning two. Election Commission press conference The Election Commission (EC) will hold a press conference on Sunday amid allegations of 'vote theft' by the Opposition on the intensive electoral roll revision in Bihar. It is unusual for the poll authority to convene a formal press conference on issues other than announcing election schedules. The subject of the press conference has not been specified, but officials said it is related to allegations levelled against the EC. Rahul has repeatedly accused the poll panel of fudging voter data and alleged that there was 'vote theft' in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana. The commission has asked the Congress leader to submit the names of those he claims have been wrongfully added or removed from the voters' list, along with a signed declaration. The poll authority has even said that it would seek an apology from Rahul, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, if he fails to give an undertaking to back his allegations. The EC's move to conduct the SIR exercise is facing questions from opposition parties who claim that the move will disenfranchise crores of eligible citizens due to want of papers. — With PTI inputs
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
SIR to ‘vote chori', Rahul's Bihar Yatra readies plank to boost Oppn in key regions, swing seats
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is set to kick off his 16-day 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' (Voter Rights March) from Sasaram in Bihar Sunday, with the state Assembly polls barely three months away. Rahul's march comes amidst strident protests being held by the Opposition parties within Parliament and outside over the Election Commission (EC)'s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the Bihar SIR, the Supreme Court, in its interim order Thursday, directed the EC to make available online a searchable list of about 65 lakh voter names omitted from the draft electoral rolls with reasons for their deletion. 16 दिन 20+ ज़िले 1,300+ कि.मी. हम वोटर अधिकार यात्रा लेकर जनता के बीच आ रहे हैं। यह सबसे बुनियादी लोकतांत्रिक अधिकार – 'एक व्यक्ति, एक वोट' की रक्षा की लड़ाई है। संविधान को बचाने के लिए बिहार में हमारे साथ जुड़िए। — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 16, 2025 Ahead of the Bihar polls, Rahul's march seems to be first major effort for mass mobilisation on the ground by the Opposition Mahagatbandhan (grand alliance), which in the state is led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and comprises the CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M) and Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party) besides the Congress. The march, which is being modelled on Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, will pass through 23 districts, covering 50 Assembly segments in 29 Lok Sabha constituencies across several regions of Bihar. Rahul would traverse a distance of over 1,300 kms during his Yatra, which would be undertaken both on foot and by vehicles. Key faces of the Congress's Mahagathbandhan allies, such as RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, would periodically join Rahul in the course of his march. The Yatra's starting point Sasaram is crucial for the Opposition alliance as it falls in its bastion of Shahabad. It would cross through the Mahagathbandhan's strongholds in the Magadh, Ang, Seemanchal, Mithila, Tirhut and Saran regions, culminating in a rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on September 1. The Assembly segments on the Yatra route are a mix of strongholds and swing seats for the Opposition alliance. In the keenly-fought 2020 Bihar Assembly polls, the incumbent Nitish Kumar-led NDA won the polls by winning 125 seats of the state's 243 as against the Mahagathbandhan's 110 seats. In 2020, the Congress had contested 70 seats but won only 19. The Yatra, sources said, is primarily aimed at reaching out to the Congress's support base in a bid to improve its strike rate in the upcoming polls. Of the 50 Assembly seats along the Yatra route, the Opposition alliance currently has 21 seats. In 2020, the RJD had contested 23 of these 50 seats and won 12. The Congress had then contested 22 of them, but managed to win only seven. The Left parties together had contested five seats, winning two. Along the Yatra route, the Congress has its MLAs in Aurangabad, Kutumba (Aurangabad), Jamalpur (Munger), Kadwa (Katihar), Araria, Bhagalpur, and Muzaffarpur. The RJD's seats across this stretch include Sasaram, Rafiganj (Aurangabad), Gurua (Aurangabad), Nawada, Sheikhpura, Nathnagar (Bhagalpur), Madhubani, Darbhanga Rural, Gaighat (Muzaffarpur), Sugauli (Paschim Champaran), Siwan and Ekma (Saran). The CPI(M-L) Liberation holds Karakat in Rohtas, while the CPI(M) has Manjhi seat. Rahul's march route also accounts for six of the nine parliamentary seats which the Mahagathbandhan won in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. This also indicates that the Yatra is meant to energise the Mahagatbandhan's core vote base. These Lok Sabha seats include all three Congress seats (Sasaram, Katihar and Kishanganj) and both the CPI(ML) Liberation's seats (Karakat and Arrah). The RJD's lone Lok Sabha seat along the route is Aurangabad. The Yatra's kickoff point Sasaram is part of the Shahabad region of Buxar-Bhojpur-Kaimur-Rohtas districts. The Mahagathbandhan had swept all the four Lok Sabha seats here, with the Congress winning Sasaram, the RJD Buxar and the CPI(ML) bagging Karakat and Arrah seats. The Magadh region of Aurangabad-Gaya districts is dominated by communities from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs), which are part of the Mahagathbandhan's support bases. In 2020, the RJD and the Congress had together swept the seats in Sasaram and Aurangabad districts. Rahul's Yatra is also looking to focus on east Bihar, which has a mix of upper caste, EBC and minority votes. Here too, seats like Bhagalpur and Kadwa have been held by the Congress for about a decade now. Rahul will also cross the Seemanchal region, which comprising Katihar, Purnea, Araria and Kishanganj districts accounts for large populations of minorities, OBC and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) voters. The Congress leader is expected to rake up the Opposition's sharp criticism of the SIR here in order to make inroads in the region. The last stretch of Rahul's march will pass through west Bihar's Tirhut-Saran region comprising Motihari, Gopalganj, Siwan and Chhapra districts. The voters here are mainly from the OBCs, minorities and upper castes. Along with the SIR exercise and his 'vote chori' (vote theft) allegations, Rahul is also expected to highlight issues like rising unemployment, growing migration, and farmers' distress. He has said that his Yatra would be a 'decisive answer to vote chors (thiefs)' and a fight to protect the Constitution and democracy.
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Cong: Rahul's fortnight-long yatra against SIR from Aug 17
1 2 Patna: Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi , will launch a fortnight-long 'Matdata Adhikar Yatra (Voter Rights March)' in Bihar from Sasaram on Aug 17, state Congress president Rajesh Ram announced on Thursday. The march, according to Ram, is being organised to raise awareness about voter rights at a time the party claims democracy is under threat. Speaking to the reporters after the conclusion of internal discussions at the party's state headquarters here, Ram said, "Suggestions were received during the deliberations on organising Rahul's yatra in Bihar. The party's rank and file will be fully involved to make it a success." The All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of Bihar affairs, Krishna Allavaru, participated in the meeting alongside senior Congress leaders, including Prem Chandra Mishra, Kripanath Pathak, Narendra Kumar and MLA Vijayendra Chaudhary. State office-bearers and leaders of the party's frontal organisations were also present. "All leaders of the INDIA bloc in Bihar will be invited to participate in the yatra," Ram added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo "The programme has been finalised and the details are being fine-tuned. We will announce the full schedule in the coming days," he said. The Congress had initially considered launching the yatra on Aug 10 from Sasaram to cover 18 districts, but the plan was postponed. The announcement came on the same day Rahul Gandhi alleged large-scale "vote theft" in a Karnataka assembly constituency, which he claimed was manipulated to favour the BJP. His upcoming Bihar visit also follows growing concern among INDIA bloc partners and sections of the public over anomalies in the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll conducted by the Election Commission in the state. The draft electoral roll was released on Aug 1. "This yatra will serve to reinforce the values of justice and equality, and foster mass communication for the protection of democracy," Allavaru said, appealing to party workers and leaders to make the event "historic and uniquely successful". 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 s ilver prices in your area.
