Bihar Bandh brings state to halt, opposition calls revision 'Vote Bandi'

Patna, July 9 (IANS) Bihar Bandh by the INDIA Bloc against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list being conducted by the Election Commission brought the state to a grinding halt, with the opposition terming the revision as ‘Vote Bandi’.

The bandh saw widespread impact across the state, with train and road blockades, tyre burnings, and protests disrupting daily life in Patna and other districts.

Supporters of Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav blocked tracks at Secretariat Halt railway station in Patna early morning.

Top INDIA Bloc leaders, including Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya, and Mukesh Sahani, joined protests across the capital.

Heavy police deployment was seen, but incidents of road blockades and slogan-shouting occurred throughout the day.

Tejashwi Yadav alleged, “The central government and Election Commission are conspiring to remove names of the poor, backward, and minorities to weaken democracy.”

LoP Rahul Gandhi echoed, “The BJP stole elections in Maharashtra, and now the same is being done in Bihar through voter list revision.”

Bihar Bandh has a widespread impact in several districts across the state.

In Hajipur of Vaishali district, RJD MLA from Mahua assembly constituency, Mukesh Roshan, staged a protest by playing cricket on the roads; a buffalo was tied to block roads in Bhagwanpur.

“The revision is being done under pressure from the Centre to deprive the poor and backward of their right to vote,” Roshan said.

In Darbhanga, RJD leaders blocked the Namo Bharat train, calling the voter revision a conspiracy to suppress backward classes.

Protesters blocked roads and rail at Parsa Halt, affecting passenger movement.

In Bodh Gaya, tourist areas wore a deserted look, shops near the Mahabodhi Temple were shut, with devotees were forced to walk long distances.

In Khagaria, Muzaffarpur, and Gaya, protesters burned tyres, blocked NH-31 (Khagaria), NH-19 (Gaya), and city intersections, halting traffic. Schools declared holidays, and ambulances faced diversions.

In Biharsharif, tension flared when a Congress worker slapped a passer-by at Hospital Chowk during the enforcement of the bandh, requiring police intervention.

Opposition leaders dubbed the voter list revision as “Vote Bandi,” alleging it was a deliberate move by the Centre and the Election Commission to remove crores of names ahead of the elections, weakening the mandate of marginalised communities.

District administrations deployed heavy security and appealed for calm, but significant disruption was reported across Bihar, affecting office-goers, students, and essential services.

While the Election Commission maintains that the SIR is a routine process to clean and update the voter list, opposition leaders have declared that if their demands are not met, the movement will be intensified in the coming days.

With Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for October-November 2025, the voter list revision has emerged as a flashpoint between the government and the opposition.

The INDIA Bloc sees it as a political strategy to influence voter demographics, while the state administration views it as a technical exercise ahead of elections.

--IANS

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