Ahead of Bihar poll, Rahul to lead voter rights march from Sasaram

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly Elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will launch the ‘Matdata Adhikar Yatra’ (Voter Rights March) in the poll-bound state from Sasaram on August 17. The campaign will be steeped in symbolism, aimed at countering the BJP’s narrative of being the “protector of Hindus” in the country.

The decision to commence the yatra from Sasaram carries deep symbolic significance. The town is associated in Hindu mythology with Raja Harishchandra, believed to have built the Rohtasgarh Fort in memory of his son Rohitashwa. While the fort dates back to the 7th century, popular legends link it to Raja Harishchandra’s name and his legendary commitment to truthfulness. In Hindu lore, he is remembered as a ruler who sacrificed his kingdom and even sold his family in order to honour a promise, embodying the ideals of truth and dharma.

The yatra will also move through Gayaji also on August 20, said a source. The place again holds significance in both Hinduism and Buddhism.

The first 15-day phase of the yatra will conclude on September 1 in Patna, where leaders of the INDIA bloc are expected to present a united front in a rally against the BJP’s continuing political dominance.

The fortnight “hybrid yatra” sources said will be held alongwith the Congress’ main regional partner RJD in which LOP Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will be seen walking together shoulder to shoulder. The idea is said to be a “brainchild” of Congress and assumes significance for Opposition INDIA-bloc amid the row over Election Commission’s(EC’) ongoing SIR exercise in Bihar and also LOP Gandhi’s continuous assaults on EC of alleged “vote theft” while colluding with BJP.

The phased yatra will be held in several phases in the state. In the first phase of 15 days, the Congress sources said the party expects to cover around 100 Assembly constituencies in Bihar’s Seemanchal and Mithilanchal regions. A source informed that entire 243 Assembly seats in the poll-bound state will be covered during the yatra.