Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday joined the ongoing ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Supaul, Bihar, against the Election Commission, marching alongside her brother and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi.

Vadra and Gandhi, along with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and other INDIA bloc representatives, were seen sitting on the roof of an SUV, waving to an enthusiastic crowd as the vehicle moved slowly. The yatra resumed on Tuesday after a one-day break.

Earlier, addressing a press conference in Araria on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi said all the INDIA bloc constituents in Bihar were working together for the upcoming assembly polls. He added that a common manifesto for the Bihar elections would soon be announced and praised the alliance as a good partnership.

Gandhi also launched a sharp attack on the NDA government, alleging that the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was “an institutionalised attempt by the Election Commission to steal votes to help the BJP.” The Voter Adhikar Yatra, supported by all INDIA bloc parties, is being held against this move.

The 16-day yatra, which started on August 17 from Sasaram, will cover over 1,300 km across Bihar and conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1. So far, the yatra has passed through Gayaji, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai, Munger, Katihar, and Purnea districts. In the coming days, it will travel through Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, West Champaran, Saran, Bhojpur, and Patna.

What led to this Yatra

Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly criticised the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar, accusing it of bias in favour of the BJP. He claims that the exercise is being used to remove or ignore legitimate voters, calling it an “institutional attempt to steal votes.”

The Election Commission, on the other hand, maintains that the SIR is a routine exercise aimed at updating and correcting electoral rolls, ensuring accuracy and preventing fraud. Gandhi and the opposition, however, see it as a politically motivated move that could disenfranchise voters in key constituencies ahead of the assembly elections.

This disagreement has escalated into a major political clash, with Rahul Gandhi openly questioning the neutrality of the Election Commission and accusing it of acting under pressure from the central government.