Patna (Bihar) [India], September 1 : As the opposition's 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' concludes, Bihar Rural Work Department Minister Ashok Choudhary on Monday dismissed the allegations of "vote theft" in the assembly elections, and said that Congress' vote bank will not grow until it remains in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
"The issue of Vote Chori does not stand. The Congress vote bank will not grow until Rahul Gandhi is with the Rashtriya Janata Dal. The RJD does not give good seats, nor does it promote good leaders. They want to suppress Congress. Lalu Prasad Yadav will not let you grow," Chaudhary told ANI.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday pledged that the opposition will not let votes be stolen in Bihar ahead of the forthcoming assembly polls, standing firm on his allegations of vote theft.
"We pledge - not a single vote will be stolen in Bihar. We will protect democracy and the Constitution with all our might," Gandhi posted on X.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha extended his gratitude towards prominent opposition leaders from various parties, who are also part of the INDIA bloc, for making the 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' "historic".
The BJP has been targeting the opposition over alleged abuses hurled at PM Modi. On the other hand, the opposition has refuted such claims, arguing that the ruling party in the centre is raising these issues to distract from important ones.
The 16-day yatra, undertaken by Rahul Gandhi to highlight allegations of 'vote chori' (vote theft) by the BJP and the alleged irregularities in the revised voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has concluded in Patna today.
The rally began on August 18, with Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav riding together in Sasaram. From there, the rally spanned across 25 districts, to Aurangabad, Gayaji, Siwan, and others.
Multiple other INDIA bloc leaders have attended the yatra at various points. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have joined the rally.
Other chief ministers, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, participated in the yatra.