Rahul Gandhi to launch Voter Adhikar Yatra against ‘vote theft’ in Bihar on August 17

RAIPUR(Chhattisgarh): Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will kickstart his ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram district of Bihar on August 17, protesting alleged “vote theft” and electoral rollsin the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Speaking, Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel stated that during this campaign, Rahul Gandhi will travel 1300 kilometres in the state.

He added that on the first day of the campaign, Rahul Gandhi will travel from Sasaram to Patna.

“Tomorrow, Rahul Gandhi is travelling from Sasaram to Patna. This journey will last 17 days, during which he will walk 1300 kilometres. This Voter Adhikar Yatra is a journey against vote theft. This is a fight against people who are forming government after doing vote chori…” Baghel stated.

On August 14, Rahul Gandhi had announced the launch of Voter Adhikar Yatra against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called on people to “join this people’s movement.”

The Congress MP took to X to make this announcement, and wrote, “From August 17, with #VoterAdhikarYatra, we are launching a direct fight against vote theft from the soil of Bihar. This is not just an election issue – it is a decisive battle to protect democracy, the constitution, and the principle of ‘one man, one vote.’ We will ensure a clean voter list across the entire country. Youth, workers, farmers – every citizen, rise and join this people’s movement. This time, the defeat of vote thieves – the victory of the people, the victory of the constitution.”

The announcement comes amid ongoing protests by the INDIA bloc leaders against the alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared a spoof video inspired by the film Laapataa Ladies, reiterating the Congress’s “vote theft” allegations against the Election Commission and urging people to join the ‘Vote Chori se Azaadi’ campaign.

Sharing the video on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Chori chori, chupke chupke… ab or nahi, janta jag gayi hai, (Secretly, stealthily… No more now, the public has awakened).”

The video shows a middle-aged man at a police station submitting a theft complaint. When asked by a policeman, “What has been stolen?” the man hesitates before replying, “Vote.” The policeman reacts in shock and asks, “How’s this possible?” The video ends with the message, “Theft of your vote is theft of your right.” The clip is based on a scene in Laapataa Ladies where a husband goes to the police station to report that his wife has been exchanged.

On August 7, Rahul Gandhi had criticised the Election Commission of India, saying elections are “choreographed”. Presenting Congress’s research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka, he alleged the theft of 1,00,250 votes.

The Election Commission has repeatedly asked Rahul Gandhi to submit a signed declaration to back up his claims of “vote theft”. (ANI)