Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has labeled the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a new weapon of “vote chori” (vote theft) and pledged to safeguard the principle of ‘one person, one vote’. His statement came during his ongoing Vote Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, where he met individuals whose names were allegedly deleted from the electoral rolls despite voting in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Gandhi shared his thoughts via a post on his WhatsApp channel, accompanied by a photo of the affected individuals. “SIR is a new weapon of vote theft. These people standing with me are living proof of this theft,” he wrote. He detailed the backgrounds of those impacted, including farmers, laborers, and retired soldiers, emphasizing that their identities were erased from India’s democratic process just before the Bihar assembly elections.
Among those highlighted were Raj Mohan Singh, a 70-year-old farmer and retired soldier, Umravati Devi, a Dalit laborer, and Dhanjay Kumar Bind, a backward-class laborer. Gandhi accused the BJP and Election Commission of colluding to disenfranchise marginalized communities, including soldiers and the poor. “Neither will they have a vote, nor identity or rights,” he asserted.
The Congress leader framed the issue as a battle for democratic participation, vowing to resist any attempts to undermine it. “We stand here to protect the most basic right of ‘one person, one vote’,” he declared. His Yatra, which began in Sasaram, aims to cover 1,300 km across Bihar, concluding with a rally in Patna on September 1.
Joined by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and VIP’s Mukesh Sahani, Gandhi’s campaign seeks to rally support against what he describes as systemic attempts to manipulate elections. The Yatra, a mix of foot marches and vehicle travel, mirrors his earlier Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The route includes key districts like Aurangabad, Gaya, and Bhagalpur, amplifying his message of electoral fairness.
Gandhi’s allegations come at a critical time as Bihar gears up for assembly elections. His focus on SIR as a tool of disenfranchisement has sparked debates about electoral integrity. The Congress leader’s relentless push for transparency underscores the high stakes for democracy in India’s political landscape.