New Delhi: The Congress occasion is ready to launch an almost two-week-long ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, led by Lok Sabha Chief of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, masking 50 meeting constituencies throughout 23 districts in a bid to mobilise public help forward of the upcoming meeting elections.

This would be the occasion’s first main grassroots mobilisation in Bihar in many years, the place its political affect has steadily declined with the emergence of regional leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar—each merchandise of the Mandal motion that reshaped the state’s political panorama within the Nineteen Nineties.

Congress leaders within the know mentioned that the yatra was conceived as a part of the occasion’s plans to construct a sustained marketing campaign round Rahul’s ‘vote chori’ allegations.

“Initially, the plan was to launch the yatra on 10 August. Nevertheless it was postponed to 17 August after Rahul Gandhi’s presentation on vote chori was postpone for just a few days as a consequence of JMM founder Shibu Soren’s demise,”  a senior Congress chief informed ThePrint. “The plan was to strike the iron whereas it’s scorching.”

Shashant Shekhar, a Congress chief from Patna, mentioned, “Throughout my travels, I’ve discovered that the difficulty of deletions from the voter checklist resonates strongly with folks. They concern such deletions may solid doubt on their citizenship and, in flip, hinder their entry to welfare schemes. The Yatra will convey these considerations to the forefront.”

It’s not simply Bihar. The Congress will organise rallies on the voter checklist subject in all state capitals and main cities between 22 August and seven September. On 14 August, it would take out candlelight marches throughout all district headquarters at 8 pm.

“He is not going to be on foot alongside the complete route. It will likely be a hybrid yatra just like the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that [Rahul] undertook final 12 months from Manipur to Maharashtra. Different leaders of the alliance will be a part of him in stretches. In reality, INDIA bloc leaders from different states are additionally anticipated to affix the yatra,” Congress chief Anupam, who led the Yuva Halla Bol platform’s ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ motion, informed ThePrint.

A take a look at the electoral historical past of the 50 meeting constituencies included within the yatra reveals that the Congress-led alliance gained 23 of those seats within the 2020 Bihar elections. Of these, the Congress alone secured 8 seats, having contested 20 of the 50 constituencies.

Anupam, who lately met Rahul in Delhi, mentioned that the Congress MP was “extraordinarily severe” about reviving the Congress in Bihar. “You’ll perceive that if you happen to observe his actions, from visiting the state to getting job gala’s held, over the previous few months,” he mentioned.

Since February, Rahul has visited Bihar eight instances, collaborating in varied public occasions together with protest marches, ‘samvidhan bachao’ sammelans, and screenings of movies on Dalit icons, whereas additionally holding a number of rounds of conferences with the occasion’s state management.

Sources within the Congress informed ThePrint that the occasion, which contested in 70 seats within the earlier meeting elections and gained 19, was “focusing extra on winnability somewhat than amount this time”.

“Final time, we got many seats that the occasion may have by no means gained. This time a distinct technique has been adopted focusing extra on seats that we will truly win. Consequently, we might contest fewer seats this time. Another excuse for that’s the truth that Mahagatbandhan has extra events this time equivalent to Vikassheel Insaan Celebration of Mukesh Sahni,” a Congress functionary mentioned, including that the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Celebration might also be a part of the Mahagatbandhan alliance.

The Opposition alliance is but to finalise seat-sharing. Sources mentioned it’s prone to occur after the end result of the Yatra in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.

Anupam mentioned that whereas SIR and alleged voter checklist fraud are the central agendas of the Yatra, Rahul can even increase points equivalent to unemployment, misery migration and rising utilization of medication among the many youth of Bihar whereas main the march.

“The concept is to spotlight the truth that Bihar is unable to fulfil even essentially the most fundamental wants of individuals. The target of workout routines equivalent to SIR can also be to divert the eye of individuals from points that matter,” he mentioned.

(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)

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