Patna: In a strategic campaign ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is set to embark on a padyatra (foot march) across Bihar starting August 10, in partnership with Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Congress sources confirm the event will begin in Sasaram, moving through districts such as Aurangabad and culminating at Gaya by August 13, before resuming after a short break. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is also expected to join the march during its later stages.
The padyatra, part of the INDIA bloc’s voter-rights campaign, aims to mobilise public awareness about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Leaders intend to highlight alleged flaws in the voter list update, alongside broader issues such as unemployment, migration and law and order.
Congress insiders say the multi-phase march will traverse 18 districts, primarily in the Magadh, Patna, Koṛī and Seemanchal regions, and is expected to conclude around August 26 at Gandhi Maidan, Patna, with a rally featuring top INDIA alliance leaders.
The initiative reflects intensified political engagement within the opposition ahead of the October–November elections. The joint tour of Gandhi alongside Tejashwi and other INDIA bloc leaders is seen as a key attempt to project voter sensitivity, regional representation and alliance unity.
With Raksha Bandhan setting the launchpad, the episode marks one of the most significant opposition campaigns in Bihar’s 2025 electoral cycle.
