'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodd': Rahul Gandhi’s Bihar yatra picks steam as he campaigns on bike with Tejashwi - In pics

The Voter Adhikar Yatra led by LoP in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been gaining momentum across Bihar, with lakhs of people joining the march. Rahul Gandhi accused BJP of "manipulating institutions" and "media" to hide the voices of the poor through vote theft in SIR (Special Intensive Revision).

Rahul, rode motorcycles along with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as they made their way through the streets of Araria in Bihar's Purnea district. People lined up to see the two leaders.

The 1,300-km yatra was launched on August 17 from Sasaram. It will cover more than 20 districts over a period of 16 days, and conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1.

Raising the slogan "Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodd," in Katihar, the Congress leader told the gathering, "This is not your media. 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodd'. Now watch TV in the evening. You will not see this slogan. You will not see it anywhere. You will not see this crowd because this is a crowd of poor people. It is a crowd of labourers, a crowd of farmers...We must not let votes be stolen."

Rahul Gandhi met Makhana (fox nut) farmers in their farms in Katihar during his ongoing 16-day Yatra. Farmers briefed him on the challenges they face, including exploitation by middlemen and a lack of fair pricing. LoP Rahul Gandhi also discussed how Makhana, sold locally at Rs 700 per kg, is exported abroad, including to the US, at several times the price, highlighting the absence of government support for farmers.

While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), consisting of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, aims to retain power in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, consisting of the RJD, Congress, and left parties, is seeking to unseat Nitish Kumar.

Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi launched a sharp attack on the BJP, saying that the lie is nervous even after changing clothes five times a day, but ‘our truth stays hidden in a T-shirt.’ “After Rahul exposed vote theft, the BJP and the Election Commission are restless. This yatra has now turned into a revolution across the country,” Pratapgarhi said.

On its sixth day of Yatra, Rahul addressed a massive public gathering at Bhagalpur. Crowds chanted slogans of “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor”, accusing the BJP of manipulating elections in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Rahul Gandhi cited the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, claiming that the names of Congress and RJD supporters were being deliberately deleted, questioning the fairness of the process. “Narendra Modi talks about SIR in Bihar, but why is he silent on alleged vote frauds in Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh?” LoP Rahul Gandhi asked.

At the rally, Rahul introduced Amarnath Jaiswal, a former Agniveer who lost a finger while serving in the army and was discharged within two years without benefits. LoP Rahul Gandhi said the case highlighted the flaws of the Agniveer scheme. “The youth of this country have been betrayed. If a young man gets injured, he is abandoned without support. This is injustice,” Rahul said.

Rahul further accused the Modi government of destroying small and medium businesses through demonetisation and the implementation of GST, worsening unemployment across the country. The Yatra, positioned as a movement to “protect voting rights,” is being projected as a major show of strength by the opposition ahead of the Bihar assembly elections.

Prominent leaders of the INDIA Bloc will participate in the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar. As per the schedule, Priyanka Gandhi will join the Voter Adhikar Yatra on August 26 and 27, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin will join the yatra on Wednesday, Karnataka CM Siddharamaiah will join on August 29, and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav will join on August 30. Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and Himachal Pradesh CM Shukhvindar Singh Sukhu will also join.

The yatra seeks to highlight alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls in the state. Bihar Assembly elections are due later this year, though the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced the schedule yet.

The 16-day 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', covering 1,300 km across 20 districts, has been launched by the Opposition parties in protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which they claim is an attempt at vote chori (vote theft). The march will conclude in Patna on September 1.