Patna march throttled as ‘hydrogen bomb’ warning overshadows right-to-vote yatra

Patna Police brought the 'Gandhi se Ambedkar' procession to a halt at Dak Bungalow Crossing, invoking the area's restricted status, even as leaders of the INDIA bloc addressed gathered supporters from that spot. This foot march marked the culmination of the fortnight‑long 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', a campaign highlighting alleged voter‑list irregularities across Bihar. Rahul Gandhi, joined by Mallikarjun Kharge, Hemant Soren, Tejashwi Yadav and other opposition figures, began from Gandhi Maidan but was prevented from proceeding further. Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said the route beyond the crossing could not be permitted, though leaders were allowed to speak there and possibly send a delegation to pay tribute at the B R Ambedkar statue near the High Court.

Crowds lining the route responded with slogans and flower petals, while leaders waved from an open‑top vehicle, underscoring the INDIA bloc's united front. The yatra spanned over 1,300 km across 110 assembly constituencies in 25 districts, having commenced on 17 August from Sasaram.

Rahul Gandhi used the event to up the political ante, warning the BJP of a major exposé—likened to a “hydrogen bomb”—on alleged “vote chori”. He claimed such a revelation would render Prime Minister Narendra Modi unable to face the nation. Gandhi framed the campaign not merely as Bihar’s struggle but as a larger democratic cause, citing prior cases in Karnataka and Maharashtra as evidence of electoral fraud.

While Gandhi and his colleagues turned attention to impending claims of electoral malpractice, voices within the ruling alliance pushed back, dismissing the yatra as political theatrics. Union minister G Kishan Reddy derided it as “political tourism.” Meanwhile, the NDA characterised the campaign as a sensationalist performance lacking genuine engagement with voter concerns.

Despite the heat and police curbs, urban roads were inundated with supporters—many rural women among them, carrying flags and makeshift fans, voicing housing distress, voter‑list concerns or simply participating in what one called “Patna darshan.”

Traffic across central Patna was badly affected, with key junctions such as Dak Bungalow Crossing, Ganga Path, Nehru Path and Ashok Rajpath choked by procession vehicles and large crowds. Schools suspended classes, commuters were delayed for hours, and residents criticised the decision to stage the event on a weekday.

The yatra amplified longstanding opposition concerns about the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, which parties warn risk disenfranchisement of large voter populations across Bihar. Congress has claimed that as many as 8.9 million complaints from its ground‑level agents remain unaddressed by the Election Commission.

As the INDIA bloc concluded the event under police attention, the anticipation now centres on whether the promised 'hydrogen bomb' of revelations will materialise—and what impact it may have ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar.