Key Points

The 1,300 km-long journey will be led jointly by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav.

Senior leaders, including Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, and VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, will also join the yatra.

Preparations were finalised on Saturday. The specially designed vehicle used during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has been remodelled for this campaign.

Rahul will arrive at Gaya airport and proceed by helicopter to SP Jain College, Sasaram, where the yatra will be flagged off with a public meeting at noon.

Over the 16-day campaign, Rahul Gandhi will engage with people both on foot and by vehicle, depending on the density of the population.

The yatra will include two to three public meetings daily, along with roadshows and foot marches at various stops.

Night halts have been arranged in tents at 13 different locations along the route. The first night’s rest will be at Babhandih Sports Ground in Kutumba, Aurangabad.

The Voter Rights Yatra, organised by the INDIA bloc, will cover 25 districts over 16 days and culminate with a massive public meeting at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on September 1.

A dedicated van for media personnel, decorated with posters of Rahul and Tejashwi, will accompany the yatra.

According to the INDIA bloc leaders, the purpose of the campaign is twofold: to create awareness among voters about their rights and to expose alleged large-scale deletions from the electoral rolls, particularly impacting Dalit, backward, and minority communities.

They claim such omissions pose a serious threat to democratic participation in Bihar.

As per the schedule, the Yatra will start from Rohtas on August 17, will reach Aurangabad on August 18, Gaya and Nawada on August 19, and, August 20 will be a break.

The INDIA bloc Yatra will resume from Lakhisarai-Sheikhpura on August 21, reach Munger and Bhagalpur on August 22, then Katihar on August 23, and Purnea and Araria on August 24.

The alliance leaders will take a break on August 25 and resume their journey on August 26 from Supaul. They will reach Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur on August 27, Sitamarhi and Motihari on August 28, Betiah, Gopalganj and Siwan on August 29, Chhapra and Ara on August 30. August 31 will be a break, and the Yatra will finally culminate at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan with a massive rally on September 1.

- IANS