Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday joined the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar which is being led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. The opposition has been called the exercise an attempt to steal votes for the ruling NDA coalition and give them benefit in the upcoming elections. 

Rahul Gandhi took to X and shared a photo with several leaders including his sister and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TN CM Stalin and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

“Welcome to Bihar and the #VoterAdhikarYatra my brother Thiru @mkstalin Your presence here strengthens our fight against Vote Chori in Bihar and the entire country,” the Congress leader captioned the post.

Several opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav have taken part in the yatra, which the opposition has taken out to make people aware of the alleged “vote theft” under the guise of SIR by the top poll panel of the country. 

Apart from Stalin, Telangana CM and Congress leader Revanth Reddy also joined the yatra.

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BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi, says he is with people who ‘abuse’ Bihar

While the opposition is working to paint a united picture, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took the opportunity to criticise the leaders and said that Rahul Gandhi must apologise for gathering people who “abuse” Bihar and its people.

Slamming the Congress MP, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that Rahul Gandhi was a “liar.” 

“Rahul Gandhi is a liar… Yes, we will stay in power for 50 years, but on the strength of our work. You keep lying, the public will sideline you just like that… For the way they (Rahul Gandhi) are gathering people who abuse the people of Bihar, including MK Stalin, Revanth Reddy in Bihar, they should apologise. Otherwise, they will have to pay the price for it in the coming elections,” Singh told ANI.

This is in connection with an alleged 2023 remark by Revanth Reddy, who said that their “DNA is better than Bihar’s DNA.”

Stalin in Bihar rally a prep for TN polls?

Tamil Nadu will go to polls next year (2026) and once the high-octane battle of Bihar is done, the political parties will begin preparing for the next round of polls, which includes Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. 

The BJP, with an aim to extend its ground in south India, will attempt to make some significant inroads in the state while Stalin’s DMK would vouch for another term. 

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Actor Vijay’s TVK is also part of the battle, and he has announced to contest the elections all alone with any alliance. With DMK, AIADMK and TVK making the fight tough, both Congress and BJP would look for some ground to be part of the government that people will shape next year. 

Sharing the stage with Rahul Gandhi for Bihar polls is somewhat a signal by Stalin for the opposition to stand united when his state goes to polls in 2026. The BJP has seen multiple defeats in the states like Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu. However, its alliance emerged victorious in Andhra Pradesh, giving the confidence it required to target other states as well. 

Bihar elections will show the opposition’s strength in the state and nearby regions, leading to new strategies for the elections next year.