Rahul Gandhi to Begin 16-Day ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar

Hemani Kandhari 

August 17, 2025 : Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will launch a 16-day-long ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram, Bihar, on Sunday. The march will cover over 1,300 kilometres across more than 20 districts and conclude with a mega rally in Patna on September 1, where leaders of various INDIA bloc parties are expected to join.

Announcing the programme on X, Gandhi said: “16 days. 20+ districts. 1,300+ kms. We are coming among the people with the Voter Rights Yatra. This is the fight to protect the most fundamental democratic right – ‘one person, one vote.’ Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution.”

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera described the Yatra as a “historic journey”, saying that whenever Rahul Gandhi has taken up such marches, “democracy has turned a new page.”

He said that leaders from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, including Tejashwi Yadav, and other INDIA bloc allies will also take part.

Khera alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exposed attempts by the BJP to disenfranchise lakhs of Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, the poor, and daily wage workers. He claimed it was a conspiracy not only to “steal votes but also steal identity.”

He further alleged that if voting rights are denied today, tomorrow the same groups could be excluded from welfare schemes like food and housing.

Targeting the Election Commission, Khera said it was functioning like a “bogey of the double-engine government”, which the Congress would not accept. He added that it was only after protests by the people of Bihar and intervention by the Supreme Court that the poll body made corrections to the SIR process.

The Congress said the Yatra aims to spread awareness among the people to resist any attempt by the Modi government to deny their right to vote. “This is a journey for the rights and entitlements of the people of Bihar. Democracy must find direction from here,” Khera said.