INDIA Alliance’s 16-day Voter Adhikar Yatra across Bihar concluded on September 1 with a massive public meeting at Dakbungla Chowk, where thousands of people resolved to defend their voting rights against conspiracies to disenfranchise them.
The day began with CPI(ML) paying solemn tributes to Comrade Rajaram, the founding General Secretary of the Indian People’s Front (IPF), on his second death anniversary. A memorial meeting was held at the Legislators’ Office, attended by CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, State Secretary Kunal, MP Rajaram Singh, and thousands of party activists who remembered Comrade Rajaram’s contributions since the 1974 movement.
Following the memorial, CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar, other leaders and members marched to join the main rally, which commenced with INDIA alliance leaders Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Mukul Shahani, CPI(M) General Secretary Comrade M A Baby and CPI General Secretary Comrade D Raja. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren also joined on the concluding day. MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and TMC, along with veteran activist and former judge B G Kolse Patil, added their voices to the protest. The rally witnessed enthusiastic participation, with the streets of Patna filled with people. Before the meeting began, the leaders paid tribute at the Gandhi statue in Gandhi Maidan.
Addressing the gathering at Dakbungla Chowk, Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, exposing what he called a conspiracy to snatch voting rights in Bihar. He highlighted the irony of the government observing 25 June as "Constitution Murder Day" while using the same date to initiate efforts to disenfranchise citizens. Bhattacharya revealed that during a 2 July meeting with the Election Commission, official Gyanesh Kumar had suggested that 20 percent of Bihar’s population living outside the state should vote from elsewhere. CPI(ML) interpreted this as a plan to delete 1.5 to 2 crore names from the voters’ list. He credited public resistance for reducing this number to 65 lakh but emphasised that lakhs still faced injustice, including being declared dead, labelled outsiders, or targeted under the pretext of a "Bangladeshi scare."
Comrade Dipankar condemned the BJP’s attack on the Congress office and mocked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s sudden policy shifts, including promises of 125 free electricity units and increased pensions. He dismissed these as inadequate, contrasting them with the people’s genuine demands for loan waivers for women, regular employment and 200 units of free electricity. "The poor were once promised ₹2 lakh each, but not a rupee reached them. Now they offer a token ₹10,000, which microfinance companies will snatch away," he asserted.
The rally reverberated with the slogan "Badlo Sarkar, Badlo Bihar" (Change the Government, Change Bihar), which echoed through the crowd as a call for political transformation. Bhattacharya declared, "This is only a beginning. The struggle will continue against the vote-ban and vote-theft designed to destroy democracy." The massive turnout and cross-party unity underscored the growing resolve of Bihar’s people to defend their electoral rights and challenge the "double-engine government" of corruption and coercion. With the nation’s eyes on Bihar, the INDIA alliance has vowed to intensify its fight for democratic restoration.
The Voter Adhikar Yatra has energised Bihar with the call "Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod," which is reverberating across the state against the BJP regime’s attempt to disenfranchise the poor and marginalised sections. During the yatra, CPI(ML) activists lined the route, waving red flags and banners to welcome the leaders. Several organisations submitted memoranda during the march, including the Gope faction of the Employees’ Federation, which demanded restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and permanent recruitment in government departments.
Chief Ministers from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh also joined the yatra at various points, reflecting countrywide unity against vote theft.
