Voter Adhikar Yatra Day 7: Rahul Gandhi Resumes Yatra From Katihar, What’s The Latest Development?

With the Voter Adhikar Yatra entering its seventh day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday resumed it from Katihar, Bihar. He launched the campaign to highlight the alleged theft of votes through the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.

During the Yatra, he met with Makhana Farmers in Katihar and listened to their grievances. In a post on X, Congress wrote in Hindi, “Leader of Opposition Mr Gandhi met with Makhana farmers in Katihar and listened to their problems. ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ continues.”

The Yatra commenced on August 17 from Sasaram and will be concluded on Sept 1 in Patna.
Now, the Yatra has entered Bhagalpur.

In a post on X on Aug 21, 2025, Congress wrote, citing Rahul Gandhi, “A clear message from the people’s hero to vote thieves- ‘Vote theft’ will not be tolerated, we will not allow vote theft in Bihar.”

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.

Development So Far

The Supreme Court on Friday 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.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision. In a post on X, he said, “Democracy has survived a brutal assault from the Election Commission of India (ECI). On August 14th, the Supreme Court had intervened to set aside the ECI’s decision to withhold the list of deleted voters.”

ECI Rebuts Vote Theft Allegations

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.”

On August 18, 2025, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, resumed the Yatra in Aurangabad, Bihar.

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