The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ led by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav will conclude in Patna on Monday with a massive road show and rally at Gandhi Maidan. Covering 23 districts in 14 days, the Yatra highlights Opposition charges of voter list manipulation and threats to democracy in Bihar.
Patna is set to witness a massive political show of strength on Monday as the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, reaches its conclusion. After covering 23 districts in just 14 days, the Yatra will culminate with a road show and public rally at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan.
The campaign, which began in Sasaram (Rohtas district), has been projected by the Opposition INDIA bloc as a “battle to save democracy and protect the voting rights of common people in Bihar.” The Yatra has seen enthusiastic participation across the state, with the leaders repeatedly attacking the Central government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged voter list irregularities.
Schedule of Events on September 1
As per the official programme, the concluding day of the Yatra will start at 10.50 a.m., when the INDIA bloc leaders will pay floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Gandhi Maidan. Between 11.05 a.m. and 12.30 p.m., they will hold a symbolic march, dubbed the ‘Gandhi to Ambedkar March’, which will proceed along a significant route—covering S.P. Verma Road, Dak Bungalow Chowk, Kotwali Police Station, Nehru Path, and Income Tax roundabout—before concluding at Ambedkar Park, Nehru Path.
At 12.30 p.m., floral tributes will be offered to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, followed by a public rally from 12.40 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. The rally is expected to draw a massive crowd and will be addressed by prominent leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, CPI-ML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani. Senior RJD leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi are also expected to be present.
Opposition’s Key Allegations
Throughout the Yatra, the INDIA bloc has directed its sharpest criticism at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the Election Commission of India, over what they termed as “manipulative practices” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to the Opposition’s claims, over 65 lakh names have been deleted from Bihar’s voter list, disproportionately affecting the poor, marginalized communities, and sections traditionally seen as Opposition supporters.
“The removal of lakhs of names from Bihar’s voter list is not just political manipulation but a direct attack on democracy and the citizenship rights of the people,” Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav repeatedly said during the campaign.
They alleged that the voter list revision was carried out to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies by systematically weakening the Opposition’s voter base. CPI-ML leader Dipankar Bhattacharya also termed the deletions as a “conspiracy to disenfranchise the marginalized sections of Bihar.”
Political Significance
The culmination of the Voter Adhikar Yatra is being closely watched in political circles, as it signals the INDIA bloc’s strategy of mass mobilization ahead of the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi Maidan, which has historically been the stage for major political movements in Bihar, is expected to send a strong message of unity against the ruling BJP-led NDA.
The event also carries symbolic weight with the march being framed as a journey from Gandhi to Ambedkar, representing both India’s fight for freedom and the ongoing struggle for social justice.
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For Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, the Yatra provides a platform to reconnect with grassroots voters, highlight issues of democracy and citizenship, and energize party cadres in Bihar. Analysts believe the turnout and reception at the final rally will serve as a litmus test of the Opposition’s ability to consolidate support against the BJP in the state.
As Bihar gears up for a politically charged Monday, all eyes are on Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, where the concluding rally of the Voter Adhikar Yatra is expected to become a defining moment in the Opposition’s campaign to protect democratic rights.
