Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP and Election Commission of Plotting to “Steal Bihar Polls,” Launches 1,300-km Voter Rights Yatra from Sasaram

Sasaram, Bihar Aug 2025 : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday accused the Election Commission of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate upcoming elections in Bihar by “adding and deleting” names from the voter rolls. Launching the 16-day, 1,300-kilometre ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ from Sasaram, Gandhi declared that the BJP’s alleged “conspiracy” to disenfranchise millions of voters would not be allowed to succeed.

Addressing a massive gathering at the Biada ground, Gandhi said the whole country now knew that elections were being “stolen” with the Election Commission’s complicity. “Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are being stolen across the country, and their last plot is to steal the Bihar elections through a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls,” he alleged.

Gandhi said that after he exposed “vote theft” in a press conference, he was asked to file an affidavit by authorities — a demand, he pointed out, never made of BJP leaders who regularly hold press briefings with similar claims. “This is not just about Bihar; this is about saving our Constitution and protecting democracy itself,” he said.

“Fight to Save the Constitution”

The Congress leader accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP of systematically trying to “destroy the Constitution.” He alleged that the ruling party was manipulating voter rolls to engineer outcomes in its favour. “The poor have only one power — their vote. And they will not let the BJP steal it,” he told the crowd.

He cited the example of Maharashtra, where, according to him, opinion polls had predicted a BJP defeat in the Assembly elections. “In the Lok Sabha polls, our INDIA alliance won there. But within four months, in the same Maharashtra, the BJP alliance swept the Assembly elections because suddenly one crore new voters were added — all in favour of the BJP,” Gandhi alleged.

He further pointed to Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura Assembly seat, where Congress claimed that over one lakh “fake votes” had swung the outcome in favour of the BJP. “We have shown that votes were stolen on a massive scale, and that is how they managed to win seats,” he said.

Opposition Shows Unity

The launch of the yatra was marked by a show of unity among INDIA bloc leaders. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, VIP chief Mukesh Sahni, CPI(ML) Liberation’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(M)’s Subhashini Ali, and CPI’s P. Sandhosh Kumar all attended the event, lending weight to the opposition’s campaign.

Kharge, in his address, urged people to resist “vote theft,” while Tejashwi Yadav said the yatra represented the “voice of the poor and backward communities whose rights were under attack.”

The Yatra Route

The ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ will travel through 20 districts of Bihar in a hybrid mode — on foot and by vehicle — mirroring the style of Gandhi’s earlier Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Starting from Sasaram, the journey will cover Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Munger, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Purnia, Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra and Ara before culminating in a grand rally at Patna on September 1.

In a post on X ahead of the launch, Gandhi had written: “16 days, over 20 districts, 1,300 kilometres. We are coming among the people with the Matdata Adhikar Yatra. This is a fight to protect the most basic democratic right — one person, one vote. Come join us in Bihar to save the Constitution.”

High-Stakes Bihar Polls

With Bihar Assembly elections just three months away, Gandhi’s yatra is being seen as a crucial mobilisation effort by the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies. By directly accusing the Election Commission of collusion, Gandhi has sharpened his attack against the BJP, framing the battle as one between authoritarian manipulation and democratic resistance.

“The people of Bihar will not let them steal this election,” Gandhi thundered, as the crowd responded with chants in support.