The Congress’ 14-day Voter Adhikar Yatra concluded in Patna on Monday with Rahul Gandhi delivering one of his sharpest attacks yet on the BJP and the Election Commission, vowing to expose a “hydrogen bomb” of evidence on vote chori (vote theft).
Staff Reporter / PATNA
The Congress’ Voter Adhikar Yatra reached a dramatic conclusion in Patna on Monday as Rahul Gandhi declared that the BJP should brace for nothing less than a “hydrogen bomb” of revelations on what he termed systematic vote chori across the country.
For 14 days, Rahul Gandhi and fellow INDIA bloc leaders marched across Bihar, covering nearly 1,300 kilometers, 25 districts, and over 100 assembly constituencies. What began as a march for voter rights ended as a thunderous political showdown, with Rahul directly accusing both the BJP and the Election Commission of colluding to steal elections.
The culmination rally started with a symbolic “Gandhi se Ambedkar” march from Gandhi Maidan, with top opposition leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, CPI(ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, TMC’s Yusuf Pathan, and CPI(M)’s M.A. Baby walking shoulder to shoulder. But as police halted the procession at Dak Bungalow crossing, the tone of the gathering turned from symbolic unity to a fiery indictment of the ruling party.
“Vote chor gaddi chhod,” chanted the crowd, echoing Rahul Gandhi’s words as he sharpened his attack. “The forces that killed Mahatma Gandhi are now trying to murder the Constitution of India. We will not allow them to succeed. We took out this yatra so that people could raise their voices, and what we saw was extraordinary – lakhs of citizens standing up against injustice.”
But it was Rahul’s nuclear metaphor that lit the fuse. “BJP people showed us black flags. Let me tell them: you’ve heard of an atom bomb, but there’s something even bigger – a hydrogen bomb. In Mahadevapura, we showed you the atom bomb of fake votes. Now, be ready, because a hydrogen bomb is coming. Soon, the entire nation will know the truth of your vote chori,” he declared, drawing loud cheers.
Rahul claimed Congress had already exposed how in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency, one lakh fake votes were added. He alleged that Maharashtra too witnessed a large-scale theft, where “one crore new voters were mysteriously inserted between the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, and every single new vote went to the BJP alliance.” According to him, the Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition had won the people’s mandate in Maharashtra, but the BJP “stole the election with the help of the Election Commission.”
For Rahul, this wasn’t just about ballot fraud. He painted vote chori as the theft of every citizen’s rights. “They are stealing your reservation, your ration, your land, your jobs, your future. They will take away your education and give your resources to Adani and Ambani. This fight is not just about votes, it is about survival of democracy,” he thundered.
The Congress leader warned that once the “hydrogen bomb” of revelations is detonated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “not be able to show his face to the nation.”
Yet, Rahul wasn’t alone in turning the Patna stage into a courtroom against the NDA. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s young face, launched a blistering attack on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, calling him the “Bhishma Pitamaha of corruption” and accusing his government of tampering with electoral rolls. “The double-engine government has one engine of crime and the other of corruption. Votes are being deleted, fake names are being added. People of Bihar will not forgive this betrayal,” he said, before asserting that Nitish’s government was living on borrowed time.
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren added his voice, reminding the crowd that voting rights were the very foundation of the Constitution. “They even sent me to jail during the Lok Sabha elections, but when I returned for the assembly polls, the people gave us a thumping majority. That is the power of the vote. Protect it like you protect your life,” he urged.
For Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the yatra was proof that Bihar remained the “heartbeat of democracy.” Echoing the sentiment, Randeep Surjewala said, “Sixty-five lakh voices cannot be silenced. The people of Bihar have shown that they are the guardians of the Constitution.”
Ashok Gehlot, the veteran leader from Rajasthan, framed the yatra as part of a larger national movement. “History is being created here. If democracy is to be saved, the right to vote must be defended. What started in Bihar will echo across India,” he said.
The political theatre of Patna was not just about fiery speeches. It was also a strategic signal. The Voter Adhikar Yatra, launched on August 17 from Sasaram, was designed as a counter to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which the opposition alleges is being manipulated to favor the ruling party. But more importantly, it was a show of strength ahead of Bihar’s crucial assembly elections.
Rahul Gandhi’s invocation of the “hydrogen bomb” may have been rhetorical, but in the charged atmosphere of Indian politics, the metaphor resonated far beyond the rally ground. To his supporters, it was a promise of explosive revelations that could shake the very foundations of the Modi government. To his critics, it was yet another example of political hyperbole.
Either way, the yatra has ensured that the debate over vote chori will not fade anytime soon. With the opposition gearing up to make electoral integrity a central theme of their campaign, and the BJP brushing off the charges as baseless, Bihar’s streets have once again become the frontline in India’s battle for democracy.
BJP Reacts Sharply
The speech drew immediate reaction from the BJP. Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad dismissed Rahul’s remarks as incoherent. “He is talking about atom bombs and hydrogen bombs in elections. What kind of logic is this? The Leader of Opposition is demeaning himself,” he said, branding Rahul “irresponsible.”