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In a dramatic escalation of political tensions in Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav spearheaded a massive “chakka jam” protest on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, under the banner of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). The demonstration, which brought parts of the state to a standstill, was a direct response to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) controversial decision to conduct a special intensive revision of electoral rolls just months before the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The protest, marked by blocked highways, halted trains, and burning tyres, underscored deep divisions over the integrity of the electoral process.
A March Against ‘Godi Aayog’
The protest march, which began at Patna’s Income Tax Golambar, saw Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, CPI leader D Raja, and CPM’s Deepankar Bhattacharya leading a convoy of supporters to the office of Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer. Perched atop a vehicle, the leaders rallied thousands, accusing the ECI of undermining democracy. Tejashwi Yadav, in a fiery address, called for a “kranti” (revolution) against what he termed the “Godi Aayog” (a pejorative for a biased Election Commission) and the alleged “dadagiri” (high-handedness) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
“We won’t allow the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s ‘Godi Aayog’ to destroy Bihar’s democratic legacy. This is the motherland of democracy, and the people of Bihar will not let it be trampled,” Tejashwi declared, igniting the crowd with his call to action.
Allegations of Electoral Manipulation
Rahul Gandhi intensified the rhetoric, drawing parallels between the ECI’s actions in Bihar and alleged irregularities in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections. “In Maharashtra, the INDIA bloc had a majority in the Lok Sabha elections, but just months later, we lost badly in the state elections. Why? Because one crore new voters were mysteriously added to the rolls, and the BJP won in those constituencies,” Rahul claimed. He accused the ECI of stonewalling requests for voter list data, adding, “The Maharashtra elections were rigged, and they’re trying to do the same in Bihar. But Bihar’s people will not let this happen.”
The opposition’s grievances center on the ECI’s special revision exercise, which requires 4.96 crore of Bihar’s 7.89 crore voters to verify their details and submit an Enumeration Form between June 25 and July 26, 2025. The draft voter list will be published on August 1, with the final list due on September 30, just before the anticipated polls. Critics, including Independent MP Pappu Yadav, allege this process disproportionately targets vulnerable groups like migrants, Dalits, Mahadalits, and the poor, potentially disenfranchising them. “This is a conspiracy to block votes,” Pappu Yadav charged while disrupting railway traffic at Sachiwalay Halt.
BJP’s Counterattack: ‘Hooliganism’ or Legitimate Revision?
The BJP hit back, accusing the opposition of resorting to “hooliganism” under the guise of the bandh. Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain dismissed the protests as a sign of the opposition’s desperation. “The INDIA bloc has no real issues. Bihar and India are progressing under the NDA, but they lack an agenda, so they’re targeting the Election Commission,” he said. Patna Sahib MP Ravishankar Prasad defended the ECI, emphasizing that only Indian citizens are entitled to vote. “What is their problem with revising voter lists? Do they want infiltrators like Rohingyas on the rolls?” Prasad asked, raising questions about the opposition’s motives.
The ECI, meanwhile, invoked Article 326 of the Constitution, which mandates that only Indian citizens above 18, not disqualified by law, can vote. In a statement on X, the ECI clarified that the revision is a routine process to ensure clean voter lists, particularly to exclude illegal migrants, starting with Bihar. The commission has deployed nearly 78,000 booth-level officers and plans to add 20,000 more, alongside one lakh volunteers to assist vulnerable voters.
Widespread Disruption Across Bihar
The bandh caused significant disruptions, with RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, and CPM supporters blocking roads and railways in Patna, Araria, Purnea, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Arwal, Jehanabad, and Darbhanga. Tyres were burnt, and traffic came to a halt as protesters demanded the ECI halt its revision exercise. The scale of the protests, coinciding with a broader Bharat Bandh called by trade unions, amplified the chaos, affecting public services across the state.
The Road Ahead
As Bihar gears up for its Assembly elections, the controversy over the voter roll revision has deepened mistrust in the electoral process. The Mahagathbandhan’s accusations of rigging and disenfranchisement clash with the NDA’s defense of the ECI’s mandate to ensure fair elections. With the Supreme Court rejecting an urgent hearing on a related case and the ECI standing firm, the stage is set for a contentious pre-election battle.
