Vote Adhikar Yatra will be a decisive battle against “voter fraud”, says Rahul Gandhi.

After coining a thanks to the Election Commission for a “unique experience” – in which Rahul Gandhi had tea with ’07 dead’ voters from Bihar – men and women who said they had been struck off the state’s electoral roll after the controversial ‘Special Intensive Revision’, of the voter list.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi today announced the launch of the Voter Adhikar Yatra from Bihar on August 17, calling it a decisive battle against voter fraud and a mission to protect the Constitution and democracy. In a video message posted on X, Gandhi said, “On August 17, we are launching the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar. The youth of Bihar will join us to stand for ‘One Person, One Vote’ and to protect the Constitution, while also working to stop voter fraud. We need the youth of Bihar in this fight. Every young person should join us in defending the Constitution”.

In another post, Gandhi emphasised that the Voter Adhikar Yatra is “more than a political campaign“. Calling it a people’s movement to uphold the principles of free and fair elections, Gandhi said, “This is not just an electoral issue – it is a decisive struggle to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the principle of ‘One Man, One Vote“. The Congress leader asserted that the yatra aims to ensure the preparation of clean and transparent voter lists across the country. He called upon youth, workers, farmers, and all citizens to rise and join the movement. “This time, those who steal votes will lose – the people will win, the Constitution will win”, he asserted.

Earlier, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has levelled serious allegations at the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing NDA’s Dinesh Singh and Veena Devi of possessing duplicate Elector Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) and being registered in multiple constituencies. The war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition on the large-scale irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has heated up ahead of Bihar Assembly polls.

The RJD leader has slammed the ECI, alleging “fraud committed in collusion between the Election Commission, the BJP, and the NDA“. He questioned the ECI’s impartiality, asking if it has become a tool for the BJP to win. He alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s close associate MLC Dinesh Singh and his wife Veena Devi, an NDA MP from Vaishali, also have multiple voter IDs.

In a post on social media platforms ‘X’, Tejashwi stated that Dinesh Singh, a long-time JD(U) legislator, possesses two different EPIC IDs REM0933267 and UTO1134527 registered in two different Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. Similarly, his wife, Veena Devi, an NDA MP from Vaishali, also possesses two different EPIC IDs UTO1134543 and GSB1037894 issued by two different district administrations and registered in two different Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. In his attempt to prove large-scale irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the RJD leader has been revealing the names of top NDA leaders who possess more than one voter ID.

Earlier, he alleged that Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Sinha’s name is listed in two different constituencies. Later, he raised the issue of two voter IDs issued to senior BJP leader and Muzaffarpur Mayor Nirmala Devi and her two brothers-in-law. He said that Dinesh Singh and Veena Devi’s names registered as voters in two different Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies indicates that they must have filed two different forms during the voter list revision, or enumeration forms were filed, on their behalf, by the BLOs appointed by the Election Commission.

Tejashwi said that the onus is on the Election Commission to prove how the two leaders got two different voter IDs. He asked, “Did the Election Commission allow Dinesh Singh to have two voter IDs because of his closeness to the Chief Minister? Is this not a case of fraud, manipulation, and collusion by the Election Commission to ensure a victory for the BJP-led NDA? Will the Election Commission accept its irregularities and mistakes in the SIR? Will the Election Commission issue notices to Dinesh Singh and Veena Devi from two different places?” he asked further.

Immediately after the allegations flagged by the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, The Election Commission (EC) today issued notice to LJP (Ramvilas) Lok Sabha MP from Vaishali Veena Devi and her husband Dinesh Prasad Singh, JDU MLC, seeking clarification for holding dual separate EPIC numbers and voter ID cards. The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) in Muzaffarpur has issued formal notices to both of them separately over duplicate entries in the state’s electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision 2025.

According to the notices, there were demonstrative evidences that Singh’s name appears in both 98-Sahibganj Assembly constituency (Booth No. 325, Serial No. 349, EPIC No. UTO1134527) and 94-Muzaffarpur Assembly constituency (Booth No. 371, Serial No. 251, EPIC No. REM0933267). Records show that his name had been listed in both constituencies even before the current revision.

Similarly, Veena Devi’s name has been found in 98-Sahibganj Assembly constituency (Booth No. 325, Serial No. 352, EPIC No. UTO1134543) and 94-Muzaffarpur Assembly constituency (Booth No. 371, Serial No. 252, EPIC No. GSB1037894), with both entries existing prior to the present update.

The ERO has directed both leaders to submit their written explanations by 5pm on August 16, warning that further action will follow if the matter is not clarified within the deadline. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a voter’s name cannot be listed in more than one constituency, and violations may lead to the removal of duplicate entries from the rolls.

Team Maverick