Written by Firoj Biswas
Rahul Gandhi’s 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, a 1,300-km march across 20 districts, is gradually transforming into a national flashpoint. Joined by key Opposition leaders — RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, and VIP’s Mukesh Sahani — it has turned out to be a larger fight over the integrity of India’s electoral process. At its core lies the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls, which opposition parties allege has led to the deletion of more than 65 lakh voters. The allegation of “vote chori” (vote theft), in the wake of Gandhi’s much-debated press conference in Karnataka, seems to have become a potent political slogan and an emotive rallying point, particularly for Dalits, OBCs, Muslims, and marginalised groups who are afraid of being pushed out of the democratic fold.
Usually considered a routine administrative exercise, the SIR has acquired sharp political overtones in Bihar’s volatile caste-driven landscape. Opposition parties allege that the recent deletions are not simple clerical oversights but a calculated attempt to dilute the electoral strength of communities that traditionally form the backbone of the RJD, Left parties, and Congress. This includes the Yadav — Muslim combine, Dalits, and other backward classes.
For decades, Bihar’s political contests have been shaped by caste arithmetic, with every election reflecting delicate negotiations between competing community loyalties. However, by framing the issue as one of mass disenfranchisement, the INDIA bloc is attempting to shift the discourse away from the familiar terrain of caste domination toward a broader narrative of rights and democratic participation. In doing so, the opposition parties are trying to be the custodians of electoral democracy, merging caste-based mobilisation with a rights-based vocabulary that resonates across social divides.
Rahul Gandhi’s speeches during the Yatra have consistently targeted the BJP, accusing it of “manipulating institutions” and using “pliant media” to silence the voices of people with low incomes. The slogan “Vote chor gaddi chhod” has emerged as the emotional centrepiece of the campaign. This strategy mirrors the broader template of Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which in Karnataka helped transform abstract themes of “love versus hate” into tangible local issues such as price rise, unemployment, and social justice, ultimately contributing to its electoral victory. In Bihar, the Voter Adhikar Yatra attempts a similar synthesis: Combining the emotive plank of voter disenfranchisement with everyday governance failures that cut across caste and class divides. By shifting the discourse from identity alone to a rights-plus-development frame, Gandhi seeks to rebrand Congress as a participant in caste coalitions and as the guarantor of democracy and welfare.
The campaign’s adaptive messaging reinforces this strategy. The Agniveer scheme is invoked to mobilise youth, GST-related hardships to connect with traders, and farm law controversies to engage cultivators. Each sectoral grievance is carefully layered onto the central theme of voter rights, broadening the coalition of discontent. The aim seems to be precise: To replicate in Bihar the kind of cross-sectional appeal that proved decisive in Karnataka, drawing together multiple constituencies under a single umbrella.
What distinguishes the Voter Adhikar Yatra from earlier campaigns is its focus on an immediate and tangible fear: Losing the right to vote. Unlike unemployment or corruption, which have long been normalised in Bihar’s political culture, the threat of being erased from electoral rolls is new, urgent, and personal. Families worry about their ballot power and linked welfare entitlements such as ration cards, land rights, and social security benefits, which are often verified through electoral rolls.
For the Congress, which has long been marginal in Bihar, the Yatra represents an opportunity to regain relevance. Riding on the organisational muscle of the RJD and Left parties, it is positioning itself once again as a national party that can fight for local issues. The emotional pitch around voter rights allows Congress to bypass the usual critique of being an outsider to Bihar’s caste-driven politics. However, the sustainability of this momentum remains uncertain. Bihar’s electorate is known for its pragmatism and sharp political memory. While the fear of disenfranchisement may dominate headlines now, the ability of the INDIA bloc to translate this into votes will depend on its organisational capacity, booth-level presence, and sustained pressure in the months leading up to the election. The BJP, with its formidable resources and cadre strength, is unlikely to leave this narrative uncontested. The Voter Adhikar Yatra has reframed Bihar’s upcoming elections from a contest over caste and development alone to a larger battle over the right to vote. For Rahul Gandhi, it is both a political gamble and a chance to establish moral high ground by projecting himself as the defender of India’s democratic foundations.
The writer is a post-doctoral fellow at Aligarh Muslim University
