Siddaramaiah, Annie Raja join Rahul-Tejashwi's yatra amid calls to defend democracy

The Congress-RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, launched as a mass movement to safeguard the Constitutional right to vote, continued to gather strength on Friday, drawing in leaders from across the opposition INDIA bloc and inspiring crowds in their thousands.

The day’s highlight was the participation of Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, who walked alongside Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, signalling the growing reach and unity of the campaign.

Siddaramaiah joined the yatra in Gopalganj district, where he was greeted warmly by supporters waving flags and chanting slogans. Sharing the stage with Gandhi and RJD leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, the Karnataka chief minister underlined the significance of the journey.

“Joined the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Gopalganj under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi Jee. The huge participation of people shows the growing strength of this movement for democracy and justice. The massive gathering reflected the people's strong resolve to protect democracy and their constitutional rights,” Siddaramaiah wrote later in a post on X.

The Voter Adhikar Yatra, which began in Sasaram on 17 August, is a 1,300-km march across more than 20 districts of Bihar. Framed as a people’s campaign rather than a purely partisan one, it seeks to draw attention to what the Opposition alleges are systematic efforts to manipulate electoral rolls and deny marginalised communities their voting rights, most notably through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' lists in Bihar.

At a spirited rally in Siwan, Gandhi accused the ruling BJP at the Centre of undermining democracy by colluding with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to “steal votes”, which he has been calling "vote chori". Holding up a copy of the Constitution, he declared that the government’s actions were a direct assault on the document that guarantees every citizen the right to participate in elections.

“The Narendra Modi government has been caught stealing votes with the help of the Election Commission, which is why BJP leaders have started jumping up and down. This is just the beginning,” he told the cheering crowd.

“The BJP is shaken and its leaders are jittery. We will expose them in the future. No matter what Narendra Modi does… we will not allow vote chori in Bihar,” Gandhi added.

He further claimed that after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 1 crore fake voters were added to the rolls in Maharashtra, calling it “a proven fact”. He also alleged that deletions in Bihar’s draft rolls had disproportionately targeted Dalits, backward classes, the poor, and minorities, while sparing the wealthy.

“Voting is the right of Dalits, minorities, women, but the Modi government steals votes to win polls,” Gandhi said. “Now, people have started calling BJP leaders vote chor (thief).”

Yadav, who has emerged as a key ally of Gandhi in the campaign, echoed the Congress leader’s criticism. “People of Bihar will teach them (NDA leaders) a lesson in the coming assembly polls. They have been completely exposed. I must say that PM Modi speaks lies… he is a factory of lies,” Tejashwi said.

The yatra also paid homage to the political legacy of the state. In Gopalganj, Gandhi visited Phulwaria village, the ancestral home of RJD supremo and Tejashwi's father Lalu Prasad Yadav. He garlanded the statue of Lalu’s mother Marachhiya Devi in a gesture that linked the current movement for voting rights with Bihar’s long-standing struggles for social justice.

The show of solidarity extended beyond the Congress and RJD. Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India, who had contested against Gandhi in Wayanad during the 2024 general elections, joined the march in Bettiah, West Champaran.

“The right to vote is most important. It empowers us to choose our government. Elections reflect true equality in our country, where every vote carries the same value, whether cast by the rich or the poor. We firmly stand against any attempt to take away this right,” Raja said.

Her presence underscored the broader Opposition alliance, suggesting that the yatra is becoming not only a Congress initiative but a platform where diverse parties and leaders can rally around a shared cause.

Although the accusations levelled by Gandhi and his allies are serious, the mood within the yatra appears to be decidedly festive. Each rally, roadshow, and interaction with villagers is framed as part of a collective reclaiming of democratic rights. By moving on foot, on motorbikes, and in open-roof vehicles through crowded lanes and rural hamlets, Gandhi and his fellow leaders are deliberately projecting accessibility and human connection.

The message is as much about hope as it is about resistance: that ordinary citizens, when united, can safeguard the principles of equality and justice enshrined in the Constitution.

As the yatra progresses deeper into Bihar, the sight of national leaders like Siddaramaiah joining hands with regional figures such as Tejashwi, and even erstwhile rivals like Raja, is helping shift the focus away from divisions within the Opposition. Instead, the emphasis is firmly placed on building a broad, people-powered front against what they describe as authoritarian tendencies of the BJP.

With Assembly elections in Bihar on the horizon, the yatra’s growing crowds and enthusiastic participation may well serve as a barometer of shifting public sentiment. For now, the Opposition is determined to frame the campaign not as a lament about what has been lost, but as a celebration of what still unites Indian democracy: the simple but powerful right to vote.

With PTI inputs