The Vote Adhikar Yatra route, spanning cultural heartlands like Magadh, Mithila, and Seemanchal, is designed to project unity and energize grassroots support ahead of state polls.
BY PC Bureau
August 16, 2025 — On the eve of the Vote Adhikar Yatra,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sharpened his campaign against alleged electoral malpractice by releasing a satirical video lampooning “vote chori” and questioning the impartiality of the Election Commission. Alongside him, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav rolled out a specially-composed theme song for the 16-day march, which will cover 20 districts of Bihar starting August 17.
Rahul Gandhi’s latest video, shared on his social media handles, uses a parody from the Hindi film Laapataa Ladies to illustrate how voters are “disappearing” from electoral rolls. With biting irony, the video depicts ordinary citizens searching for their names, only to be told their democratic rights have been stolen. The clip ends with Rahul accusing the ruling dispensation of systematically undermining free and fair elections, directly invoking the Election Commission’s credibility.
चोरी चोरी, चुपके चुपके…
अब और नहीं, जनता जाग गई है।#StopVoteChori pic.twitter.com/7mrheHSMh3— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 16, 2025
In the video clip, Rahul declared, “This is not just an election issue but a decisive battle to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the fundamental principle of ‘one man, one vote.’” He urged farmers, youth, workers, and citizens across Bihar to join the march in defense of their rights.
READ: Trump–Putin Summit: Much Hype, Little Outcome
Parallelly, Tejashwi Yadav struck an emotive chord with the release of RJD’s official theme song for the yatra. The track, written in simple yet stirring Hindi, highlights the pledge to safeguard every citizen’s right to vote:
“किसी का भी अधिकार छूटे नहीं,
आज़ादी का भाव टूटे नहीं,
किसी का वोट कटे नहीं…”
Sharing the video of the song on X (formerly Twitter), Tejashwi wrote: “कल बिहार के सासाराम से वोटर अधिकार यात्रा की शुरुआत होगी। यह संघर्ष हर नागरिक के अधिकार और लोकतंत्र की रक्षा के लिए है।”
The “Vote Adhikar Yatra” is a coordinated effort of the Congress, RJD, and other INDIA bloc allies. Beginning from Sasaram on Sunday, the march will traverse through 20 districts, mobilizing ground-level support before culminating in a massive rally at Gandhi Maidan, Patna, on September 1.
With its mix of satire, symbolism, and song, the yatra is being pitched not just as a political protest but as a cultural-political movement aimed at galvanizing Bihar’s masses around the idea of electoral justice.
In a press briefing held in New Delhi, Congress communication chief Pawan Khera emphasized that this yatra is a grassroots movement to reclaim democratic rights from what he called “vote thieves.” He noted that the Congress will continue mobilizing party workers and leaders to ensure the campaign resonates across communities and remains inclusive.
किसी का भी अधिकार छूटे नहीं
आजादी का भाव टूटे नहीं
किसी का वोट कटे नहींकल बिहार के सासाराम से वोटर अधिकार यात्रा की शुरुआत होगी। #वोटर_अधिकार_यात्रा #Bihar #india #TejashwiYadav pic.twitter.com/34l8uvtHLa
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) August 16, 2025
Khera also reiterated that the yatra’s significance lies in galvanizing ordinary citizens—farmers, youth, labourers—against electoral manipulation and the SIR process perceived to be exclusionary.
The yatra is being seen as both a symbolic and strategic exercise. Covering the state’s cultural heartlands of Magadh, Mithila, Seemanchal, Kosi, and Shahabad, the march is designed to project unity across Bihar’s diverse communities.
Electorally, the route is calibrated to traverse nearly 25 districts and over 50 assembly constituencies, making it a grassroots push in the run-up to the October–November state elections.
Politically, the march is being positioned as a direct protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, which opposition parties allege has been used to disenfranchise vulnerable sections of society.
At the same time, the yatra serves as a powerful visibility exercise for the INDIA bloc, with Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav leading from the front alongside other alliance leaders — signaling not only resistance but also alliance-building ahead of the electoral battle.
Detailed Route of the Yatra
Route Overview
- Start: Sasaram (Rohtas district) — August 17
- End: Gandhi Maidan, Patna — September 1
- Total Duration: ~15–16 days
- Districts Covered: 21–25 across Bihar Confirmed Districts and Sequence (Daily Breakdown)
READ: Kishtwar Cloudburst: 60 Dead, Families Wait for 75 Still Missing
Drawing from Hindi sources that outline specific stops:
- August 17: Launch in Sasaram
- August 18: Deogiri (Ambā–Dev Rd) to Aurangabad — overnight halt in Bhavandiha Sports Ground
- August 19: Raja Deogiri → Gaya (via multiple local stops) — camp at Dabur ground
- August 20: Gaya to Nawada & Barbigha, cruise via multiple points; camp at SKR College Ground
- August 21: Shekhpura (Three Mohani Durga Temple) → Lakhisarai → Munger; night halt at Munger Airport Ground
- August 22: Break
- August 23: Munger’s Chandan Bagh Chowk to Bhagalpur’s Babu Veer Kunwar Singh Nagar — via many key waypoints
- August 24: Barari crossing (Katihar) to Purnia — camp in Purnia
- August 25: Break
- August 26: From Purnia area to Supaul’s Hussain Chowk
- August 27: Supaul → Darbhanga (Gangwara Mahavir Sthal)
- August 28: Darbhanga → Sitamarhi (Rega Road)
- August 29: Sitamarhi → Bettiah (Harivatika Gandhi Chowk)
- August 30: Bettiah → Chapra (Ekma Chowk)
- August 31: Break
- September 1: Culmination — Patna, Gandhi Maidan public rally
