65 lakh voters deleted from Bihar's electoral rolls were poor people, claims Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

'We have exposed the BJP and the EC, who were indulging in stealing votes... They did it in Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka', Gandhi said.

Sitamarhi/Motihari: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that the 65 lakh people whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls of Bihar belonged to the poor and socially weaker sections of society.

Addressing a rally in Sitamarhi as part of the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', Gandhi said the people of Bihar would not allow the BJP and Election Commission to "rob" them of their right to vote.

Bihar will go to the polls later this year.

"We have exposed the BJP and the EC, who were indulging in stealing votes... They did it in Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka. Now they want to repeat it in Bihar, which we will not allow them to do," he said.

Gandhi claimed he would provide more evidence of what he termed "vote chori" in the coming months.

Ahead of the rally, he visited the famed Janaki Temple in the area and offered prayers.

Later in the day, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also joined the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Motihari. Besides Sukhu, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and other representatives of the INDIA bloc participated in the yatra, waving at an enthusiastic crowd from an open-roof SUV.

In a post on X, Sukhu said, "By participating in the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Motihari, we have given further momentum to this great campaign for democratic awareness. Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi jee, the entire Bihar has risen against vote theft and injustice, standing in favor of democracy.

“I am witnessing the resonance of the youth, the call of the farmers, and the voice of the people have become one. Vote theft is not just a crime; it is a direct attack on democracy. It is the duty of every Indian to respond to this and protect the Constitution,” he said.