The INDIA bloc’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ is set to begin on Sunday, 17 August, from Sasaram, protesting alleged irregularities in Bihar’s voter list revision.
The 1,300 km-long journey will be jointly led by Lok Sabha leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Bihar Assembly Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav.
Senior leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, and VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, are also expected to join the yatra.
Preparations were finalised on Saturday. The specially designed vehicle used during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has been remodelled for this campaign.
Rahul Gandhi will arrive at Gaya airport and travel by helicopter to SP Jain College in Sasaram, where the yatra will be flagged off with a public meeting at noon.
During the 16-day campaign, Rahul Gandhi will interact with people both on foot and by vehicle, depending on local population density.
The yatra will include two to three public meetings daily, along with roadshows and foot marches at various stops.
Night halts have been arranged in tents at 13 locations along the route, with the first overnight stay scheduled at Babhandih Sports Ground in Kutumba, Aurangabad.
The Voter Adhikar Yatra, organised by the INDIA bloc, will cover 25 districts over 16 days and culminate in a massive public meeting at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on 1 September.
A dedicated van for media personnel, decorated with posters of Rahul and Tejashwi, will accompany the yatra.
INDIA bloc leaders said the campaign has two main objectives: to educate voters about their rights and to draw attention to alleged large-scale deletions from the electoral rolls, particularly affecting Dalit, backward, and minority communities.
They claim such omissions pose a serious threat to democratic participation in Bihar.
According to the schedule, the yatra will start from Rohtas on 17 August, reach Aurangabad on 18 August, Gaya and Nawada on 19 August, with 20 August designated as a break day.
The INDIA bloc Yatra will resume from Lakhisarai-Sheikhpura on 21 August, reach Munger and Bhagalpur on 22 August, then Katihar on 23 August, and Purnea and Araria on 24 August.
The alliance leaders will take a break on 25 August and resume the yatra on 26 August from Supaul. They are scheduled to reach Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur on 27 August, Sitamarhi and Motihari on 28 August, Betiah, Gopalganj, and Siwan on 29 August, and Chhapra and Ara on 30 August. After a break on 31 August, the yatra will culminate at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan with a massive rally on 1 September.
