With growing crowds joining along the way, the INDIA alliance’s Voter Adhikar Yatra moved into its fourth day on 21 August, carrying forward the call to defend the right to vote and people’s struggles for justice. (See ML Update Vol. 28, No. 34 for the report on Days 1–3)
Day Four: Sheikhpura (21 August)
The Voter Adhikar Yatra was warmly welcomed in Sheikhpura by hundreds of ASHA workers under the banner of the Bihar Rajya ASHA Karyakarta Sangh. Comrade Shashi Yadav, CPI(ML) MLC and leader of the All India Scheme Workers Federation, led the contingent of ASHA workers in greeting the Yatra.
The ASHA workers, rejecting attempts at disenfranchisement, reaffirmed their demand for dignified jobs and wages for all. Just a few days earlier, on 12 August, thousands of ASHA workers had marched in Patna demanding implementation of the August 2023 agreement to raise their honorarium. That mobilisation followed the historic 31-day indefinite strike of 2023, in which nearly one lakh ASHA workers and facilitators across Bihar forced the government to concede recognition of their payments as an “honorarium” rather than a “reward” (paritoshik).
The Yatra, embodying Bihar’s hunger for change and determination to defend universal adult franchise, moved through Sheikhpura’s streets with thousands of people joining the welcome. The convoy was led by Comrade Dipankar and Tejashwi Yadav.
Day Five: Munger to Naugachhia (22 August)
On the fifth day, the Yatra covered the stretch from Munger to Naugachhia. Local comrades in Munger gave a warm send-off, emphasising the pressing demands of women scheme workers and restoration of the old pension scheme for all sections of government employees. Leaders of the National Movement for Old Pension Scheme, Bihar, handed over a memorandum to Comrade Dipankar.
The Yatra also met with victims of the BPSC paper leak and the teacher recruitment scam—youth who have faced unemployment, police repression, and even imprisonment. Their ongoing struggle for justice became a key highlight of the day’s march.
Day Six: Naugachhia to Purnea (23 August)
On 23 August, the Yatra travelled from Naugachhia to Purnea via Kursela and Katihar. Despite severe flooding in the region, large gatherings greeted the Yatra, expressing their resolve for change. INDIA alliance leaders also interacted with makhana growers and workers, who spoke of earning a pittance for months of hard labour while profits are cornered by processing industries and exporters outside Bihar. CPI(ML) MLA and Leader of the Party Legislative Group, Mahboob Alam, joined the Yatra on this stretch.
Addressing the people, Comrade Dipankar countered Prime Minister Modi’s repeated claims of “Bangladeshi infiltration” in Bihar. He pointed out that under the ongoing Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, not a single Bangladeshi infiltrator has been identified, yet the government persists in spreading this lie to mislead the people. Instead, names of migrant workers, women, and minorities are being arbitrarily struck off the voter list. He warned that this conspiracy to disenfranchise voters is a deliberate attack on universal adult franchise, echoing similar failed tactics in Jharkhand.
He called upon the people of Bihar to remain vigilant and fight for every vote.
The Voter Adhikar Yatra will cover 1,300 km in three phases, passing through Supaul, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Bettiah, Chapra, and Arrah, before culminating in a grand rally at Patna on 1 September.
