The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will join the concluding day of Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in Patna on Monday, as opposition parties intensify their campaign against the BJP over alleged “vote theft.”
TMC MP Yusuf Pathan and party leader Lalitesh Pati Tripathi will represent the party at the rally. Pathan confirmed that he was directed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to take part. “We will participate in the rally with the members of the INDIA bloc,” he said.
Tripathi echoed the sentiment, stressing that the issue of “vote chori” must be raised across the country. “This is the biggest issue today. It is our responsibility to raise our voice for the Constitution and to save democracy,” he said.
The 16-day yatra, launched on August 18 from Sasaram with Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, covered over 1,300 km and 110 assembly constituencies across Bihar. The march passed through 25 districts including Aurangabad, Gaya, and Siwan before reaching Patna, where it will culminate in a rally from Gandhi Maidan to Ambedkar Park.
Several INDIA bloc leaders have joined the yatra at different stages, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy also participated.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal described the yatra as a “ray of hope” against what he termed the BJP’s “blatant destruction of democracy.”
