Patna/New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched the party’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, a 16-day march covering more than 1,300 km across over 20 districts.

The campaign, aimed at protesting Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list and what the Congress calls “vote chori,” began from Sasaram and will culminate with a rally in Patna on 1 September.

The yatra began from Bihar's Sasaram, with several leaders such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Kanhaiya Kumar and senior RJD leaders, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, joining Gandhi for the launch.

Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, wrote: “16 days, 20+ districts, 1,300+ km. We are coming among the people with the Voter Adhikar Yatra. This is a fight to protect the most basic democratic right – ‘one person, one vote’. Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution.” The route will take Gandhi through Aurangabad, Gaya, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Munger, Bhagalpur, Purnea, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Champaran, Siwan, Chapra and Arrah, before concluding in Patna.

During the event, the Congress MP vowed to expose ‘vote chori’ and added that the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar was a ‘conspiracy’ by the Election Commission.

The entire country knows what the Election Commission is doing. Earlier, the country did not know how votes were being stolen. But we made it clear in the press conference how votes are being stolen. Whenever the theft is happening, whether in Bihar, Maharashtra, Assam, Bengal, we will catch the theft and working to show it to the people," said Gandhi.

"I am telling you from this stage that Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections are being stolen in the entire country. Their latest conspiracy is to conduct SIR in Bihar and steal the Bihar elections as well by cutting the new votes and adding fake ones. All of us have come to this stage to tell you that we will not let them steal this election," he said.