Rahul Gandhi leads Mahagathbandhan protest against Bihar voter roll revision

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday led a Mahagathbandhan march to the Election Commission's office in Patna to protest the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls before the Bihar assembly polls.

The leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, who arrived in the state capital in the morning, was accompanied by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI general secretary D Raja and senior leaders of other opposition parties.

Gandhi, along with the other leaders, were atop a vehicle during the protest march which started at Income Tax Golambar in Patna.

Rail and road traffic were disrupted in parts of Bihar as workers of opposition parties hit the streets to enforce a statewide bandh called by the Mahagathbandhan.

A large number of Opposition party leaders blocked the movement of road traffic on Patna's Mahatma Gandhi Setu by burning tyres.

Independent Lok Sabha MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, along with his supporters, reached Sachiwalay Halt railway station and tried to disrupt the movement of railway traffic.

Yadav's supporters blocked rail and road traffic in several parts of Patna as well as in other parts of the state, including Araria, Purnea, Katihar and Muzaffarpur.

Speaking to reporters in Patna, he said, "The Election Commission, through its special intensive revision of electoral rolls, is snatching voting rights from migrants, Dalits, Mahadalits, and poor voters. It's a conspiracy to block votes ahead of the Bihar assembly polls due later this year." Workers from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation and CPM burnt tyres and blocked roads in support of the Bihar Bandh in Arwal, Jehanabad and Darbhanga as well.

Meanwhile, adequate security arrangements have been made for bypolls to nagar panchayats in different parts of Patna district.