Wednesday's joint protest march in Patna marked a significant moment, with Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, leading a unified demonstration -- perhaps a first in the state's recent political history.
Ignoring the scorching sun and high humidity, thousands of leaders, workers, and supporters from Bihar's Opposition alliance, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Left parties, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), took to the streets on Wednesday, protesting the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The statewide Chakka Jam (roadblock) movement severely disrupted normal life across Bihar.
The protest, spearheaded by the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), led to widespread road and rail blockades, halting transportation and causing significant inconvenience.
In the state capital, Patna, a formidable show of unity saw prominent figures like Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI General Secretary Doraiswamy Raja, and VIP supremo Mukesh Sahni leading the charge. They were joined by hundreds of their supporters.
Gandhi, Yadav, Bhattacharya, and Sahni jointly spearheaded a protest march from the income tax roundabout, traveling on a vehicle, while scores of slogan-shouting supporters marched alongside them on foot, all headed towards the state Election Commission office.
Their progress was forcibly halted by the police near Shahid Smarak, just short of their destination.
Following the police intervention, the leaders addressed the massive gathering of protestors. Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India and the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Speaking in chaste Hindi, Gandhi alleged, "Votes were looted in Maharashtra and Haryana. There was manipulation in the Haryana elections. Wherever votes increased, the BJP won. In Maharashtra, the BJP won by cutting the votes of the poor. All new votes in Maharashtra went to the BJP."
He accused the BJP-led NDA of now attempting to "steal votes" in Bihar using a different model.
"They are trying to steal the Bihar election (chunao chori karne ki koshish ki ja rahi hai)."
Tejashwi echoed these concerns, asserting that the SIR is a "fatal move for democracy" designed to "deprive the poor, marginalised, and weaker sections of people from their voting rights."
Wednesday's joint protest march in Patna marked a significant moment, with Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, leading a unified demonstration -- perhaps a first in the state's recent political history.
While the protest remained largely peaceful, some aggressive protestors attempted to breach barricades in an effort to gherao the Election Commission office. Police officials intervened to de-escalate the situation, urging protestors not to violate rules.
Reports from across the state painted a picture of widespread disruption.
Protestors blocked railway tracks and halted numerous trains at various stations, including Patna, Jehanabad, Hajipur, Chhapra, Sonepur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Saharsa, Ara, Kishanganj, Purnea, and most other districts.
Road transport was also severely impacted, with National Highways and state highways blocked in several districts. Notably, the Gandhi Setu and JP Setu, crucial bridges over the Ganga connecting Patna to north Bihar, were also blocked by protestors.
Local television channels provided extensive coverage of the massive protest and its significant impact on daily life throughout Bihar.
Protestors emphasised that the Election Commission's exercise would disproportionately affect the poor, especially those lacking essential documents.
A palpable fear among hundreds of thousands in Bihar is that their names will be removed from the voting list, thereby disenfranchising them in the assembly elections later this year.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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