Bihar Election 2025: As the morning leg of Voter Adhikar Yatra resumes from Darbhanga on Day 11, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday joined Rahul Gandhi in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
During the Yatra, along with Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) founder Mukesh Sahani, and CPI (ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya were also present.
Taking to X, the Tamil Nadu chief minister wrote, “Touchdown, Bihar. The land of Lalu Prasad Yadav greets me with fire in its eyes, the soil heavy with every stolen vote.”
Touchdown #Bihar. The land of respected @laluprasadrjd greets me with fire in its eyes, the soil heavy with every stolen vote.
Joined my brothers @RahulGandhi, @yadavtejashwi and sister @priyankagandhi as the #VoteAdhikarYatra turns people’s pain into unstoppable strength. pic.twitter.com/3aQFje8QV5
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 27, 2025
Praising the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, Bihar Congress President Rajesh Kumar said that this yatra is ‘Jaandaar’, ‘shaandaar’, and ‘ekta wali’.
Mr Gandhi embarked on a 16-day campaign against the alleged theft of votes through the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, months ahead of the assembly election in the state.
The Yatra commenced on August 17 from Sasaram and will be concluded on Sept 1 in Patna.
The Bihar Assembly elections are expected to be held in October or November this year. However, the Election Commission is yet to announce dates.
Opposition Criticises Bihar SIR
The opposition has strongly criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar. Leaders claimed that the removal of millions of names amounted to tampering with votes and disenfranchising vulnerable communities.
The campaign also intends to mobilise public support ahead of future elections. Senior party leaders have described the yatra as an attempt to expose irregularities and build momentum for clean and fair electoral practices in India.
Assam Congress Chief Gaurav Gogoi also launched a statewide ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod‘ campaign in the state from Aug 24 to Aug 31, 2025. The campaign will organise awareness meetings across Assam.
ECI Rebuts Vote Theft Allegations
The Supreme Court recently allowed excluded voters to apply for inclusion online in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The court said that they can apply on the basis of Aadhaar or any of the 11 prescribed documents.
The Opposition has alleged ‘Vote Theft’. However, the Election Commission rebutted allegations of vote theft and defended SIR in Bihar.
In a press conference, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that during the Lok Sabha elections, over one crore employees, more than 10 lakh booth-level agents, and over 20 lakh polling agents of candidates work for the electoral process. And in such a transparent process, it would even be possible for any voter to steal votes.
Taking a veiled dig at Rahul Gandhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar further said it is mandatory to submit a “Constitution oath” as a witness if he is not a voter of the constituency the complaint is being made for. The Election Commission also asked Rahul Gandhi to either submit an affidavit within seven days or apologise for his allegations.
However, during the launch of the Voter Adhikar Rally in Sasaram, Bihar, Mr Gandhi said, “He will expose any theft of votes, whether it happens in Maharashtra, Bihar, or elsewhere in the future.”
