Akhilesh Yadav joins Rahul Gandhi as ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ enters final phase in Bihar

Rahul gandhi and AKhilesh Yadav. (File Photo)

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav joined Rahul Gandhi's ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ as the rally enters its final phase in Bihar. The SP chief, who arrived in Patna on Friday evening, speaking to mediapersons said the INDIA bloc, which had humbled the NDA in last year's Lok Sabha polls, will defeat the BJP-led coalition in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

In a powerful display of North-South political convergence, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — the OBC icon from the South — and top Congress leaders from the state took to the streets of Bihar alongside Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday, lending weight to Congress' ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’, a nationwide fight against voter suppression and democratic backsliding.

On Friday, when the SP supremo was asked about the controversy around use of foul language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yadav said, "It is the BJP that excels at insulting its opponents. You should hear Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (Yogi Adityanath) speak". The Samajwadi Party supremo, whose alliance with Congress had caused the BJP's tally to crash in Uttar Pradesh, which also resulted in the saffron party falling short of majority in Lok Sabha, added, "We defeated them in Awadh. Now it is time to beat them in Magadh".

With the proven campaign machinery from their 2023 state victory in Karnataka, Congress hopes to inject new energy into Bihar’s grassroots network, supercharging volunteer participation and drawing larger crowds.

According to a report in The Indian Express, The former Congress president's ongoing “Voter Adhikar Yatra” across Bihar is going to conclude on September 1 with a padyatra (foot march) in Patna instead of a rally in the state capital’s historic Gandhi Maidan. The 16-day Yatra, which began on August 17 from Sasaram, would culminate after traversing a distance of 1,300 km across 23 districts in the poll-bound state.