Indian Thought Latest News & Views
Bihar politics is currently going through a phase of election heat. The dates for the assembly elections may not have been announced yet, but the election atmosphere is at its peak in the entire state. The ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ started by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav has further intensified this atmosphere. This journey, which started from Sasaram on 17 August, continued on the roads of Bihar for about 16 days and after covering a distance of about 1300 kilometers in 23 districts, ended with a grand finale in Patna on 1 September. The purpose of this journey was not just to gather crowds or hold rallies, but it was directly presented as an exercise to put pressure on the Election Commission regarding irregularities in the voter list and voting rights. While the opposition called it an exercise to save democracy, the ruling NDA called it a campaign to mislead the public. But apart from these allegations and counter-allegations, it is certain that this journey has added a new color to the political atmosphere of Bihar.
The biggest feature of the yatra was that along with Congress and RJD, parties like Samajwadi Party and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha also marked their presence in it. On the last day of the yatra, Akhilesh Yadav was also present along with Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav in the closing ceremony held in Patna. Akhilesh’s presence linked this yatra to the politics of Bihar as well as Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav supported the declaration of Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the Grand Alliance from the open stage. He said in clear words that no one can be a better Chief Minister than Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar and he will always stand with Tejashwi. This statement not only affects the politics of Bihar but is also a signal for the politics of UP.
Actually, the situation between Congress and RJD regarding the post of Chief Minister is not clear yet. Congress is continuously keeping silence on the question of who will be the CM face from the Grand Alliance. Tejashwi Yadav has many times described Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate, but Congress never said that it considers Tejashwi Yadav as the Chief Ministerial candidate. In this state of confusion, Akhilesh Yadav coming in support of Tejashwi is like putting pressure on Rahul Gandhi and Congress. Political analysts believe that this step of Akhilesh is not limited to Bihar only, but it is also a signal for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2027. Akhilesh knows that the way Congress has kept the suspense over the CM face in Bihar, something similar can happen in UP as well. That is why he has already revealed his cards so that Congress cannot play any kind of political gamble in future.
The enthusiasm of the public seen during the ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ gave new strength to the opposition. At the conclusion of the yatra in Patna, ‘Gandhi se Ambedkar March’ was organized, in which many opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, TMC leader and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan participated. This march started from Gandhi Maidan and reached Ambedkar Park. Through this yatra and march, the opposition tried to give the message that it is not limited to just electoral alliances, but is also united to protect democracy and the rights of voters.
A major political outcome of this yatra was that Congress got a chance to increase its ‘burgeoning power’ in Bihar. Till now, Congress has often been called RJD’s B-team in the Mahagathbandhan, but this yatra showed Congress’s power to gather crowds and set agendas. Rahul Gandhi’s speeches constantly had the issue of ‘vote theft’ and ‘save democracy’, which gave the message that Congress is not just an ally but is also claiming to play a leadership role. This can create a new equation in the relationship between RJD and Congress.
However, the yatra was not untouched by controversies. The controversial remarks made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother during the yatra in Darbhanga heated up the political atmosphere. The BJP termed it as the frustration of the opposition and said that no leader of the Mahagathbandhan is able to declare the CM face because Tejashwi Yadav is accused in corruption cases and agencies are investigating. Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary said that Rahul Gandhi’s silence is proof that the Mahagathbandhan is surrounded by internal contradictions.
On the other hand, the opposition camp claims that the public is now completely with them. Tejashwi Yadav said that just like Akhilesh Yadav stopped BJP’s slogan of ‘400 Paar’ midway in UP, similarly the opposition will stop BJP in Bihar. He also said that the people of Bihar are aware and this time they will change the government with the power of their vote. Rahul Gandhi also said that this yatra is a fight for the rights of the people of Bihar and now the people will decide how to protect democracy.
If this yatra is seen from a wider perspective, it is not limited to Bihar only. It is like a laboratory for the opposition. Parties like Congress, RJD, SP and JMM want to show their voters through this yatra that they are not just doing alliance politics but are also fighting for the rights of the people. On the other hand, BJP is trying to dismiss it by calling it just an election drama. But it cannot be denied that this yatra definitely gave the opposition a platform for unity and the crowd proved that the message of the opposition is reaching the people.
Now the question is whether this crowd will convert into votes? Political history tells us that gathering a crowd and getting votes are two different things. In Bihar, caste equations and local issues still play the most important role. It is difficult to say how much impact RJD’s Yadav-Muslim equation, Congress’ traditional vote bank, SP’s limited influence and JMM’s presence will have on the elections. But it is certain that this yatra has worked to change the electoral narrative. Now the elections will not be fought only on the issue of development or employment, but also on sensitive issues like voting rights and protection of democracy.
This Congress-RJD alliance has definitely increased the pressure on BJP with their campaign, but BJP’s organisational structure and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s experience are still a big challenge for the Mahagathbandhan. BJP is constantly trying to give the message that the opposition only does politics of nepotism and corruption, while NDA will enter the election fray with a model of development and good governance.
Ultimately, this ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ of Bihar has made it clear that the assembly elections have now taken the form of a direct contest. On one hand, the NDA is relying on its strong organization and governance experience, while on the other hand the Mahagathbandhan is demonstrating its public support and unity. The presence of Akhilesh Yadav along with the duo of Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav has made this contest more interesting. It will be clear in the coming days whether this political energy of the yatra is converted into actual votes or not, but there is no doubt that it has given a new direction to the politics of Bihar and the 2025 assembly elections have now become more interesting than ever.
