Bihar: Huge Response to ‘Chakka Jam’ Against ECI’s Special Review of Voters’ List

Patna: A massive protest was staged across Bihar on July 9, 2025, against the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, reflecting the  dominant mood of anger among people of the state.

The protest "Chakka Jam" called by Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal,Congress, the three Left parties --CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) -- Vikassheel Insaan Party of Mukesh Sahani badly affected normal life. The movement of trains, buses, trucks and other vehicles stood disrupted across the state, which is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti party (R) and Hindustani Awam Morcha alliance led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Thousands of people along with supporters and workers of Opposition parties took to the streets in Patna, protesting against SIR across the state, joining from rural areas, small towns and district headquarters.

In Patna, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav ,CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI general  secretary D Raja and VIP supremo Mukesh Sahani joined the ‘Chakka Jam’ (Road Blockade) protest along with hundreds of their party workers and supporters.

The Mahagathbandhan leaders together led protest march atop a vehicle and with hundreds of slogan-shouting leaders, workers and supporters on foot march along with them. They marched from the Income Tax Roundabout to the State Election Commission office here. Police tried to forcibly stop the protest march near Sahid Smarak before the Election Commission office.

This is the first time in Patna when Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and Tejashwi Yadav, who is Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, led a joint protest march.

After the police stopped the protest march, Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav and other leaders addressed the huge gathering of protestors. In his address, Gandhi attacked the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.

Addressing the protestors, Gandhi said that the Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2024 were "rigged" to favour BJP, adding that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre wanted to repeat the same in the Bihar Assembly elections in October-November.

In chaste Hindi, the Congress leader said, "Maharashtra and Haryana mein vote ki loot hui hai. Haryana chunao mein garbar hui hai. Jahan vote barhe wahan BJP jeeti. Maharashtra mein garibo ka vote katkar BJP jeeti. Maharashtra mein sabhi naye vote BJP ko mile. Ab Bihar ka chunao chori karne ki koshish ki ja rahi hai". (They are trying to steal the elections in Bihar, just like in Maharashtra and Haryana.)

Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission was working on “instructions from BJP.” The Election Commissioners have been nominated by the BJP. The Election Commission's move of special intensive revision of the electoral rolls is an attempt to steal an election. We will not allow the EC to steal the (voting) rights of the electorate, especially the youth," he added.

Tejashwi Yadav said SIR was a fatal move for democracy because it would deprive the poor, marginalised and weaker sections of their voting rights.

Thousands of slogan-shouting supporters and workers of  Opposition parties stopped over two dozen trains including long route express and passenger ones at Patna, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Ara, Gaya, Purnea, Saharsa, Jehanabad and other railway stations.

The protestors also halted trains at Rajendra Nagar terminal in Patna and blocked the Patna-Gaya train route in Jehanabad. "Several trains were halted to enforce the shutdown," a police officer said.

Roads were also blocked at various places across the state. Left parties supporters blocked different national and state highways in over two dozen districts. National highways were blocked in Patna, Vaishali, Gaya, and state highways in Nawada, Siwan, Aurangabad, Arwal districts.

According to reports reaching here, hundreds of slogan- shouting Opposition workers, along with supporters, took out protest marches in all 38 district headquarters. Similar protest marches were held in block and sub-divisional towns.

But some aggressive protestors reportedly tried to break barricade to gherao the election commission office, while police officials tried to convince them not to violate rules.

Local TV channels, too, reported that the protests were massive the impact badlly hit normal life across Bihar.

Protestors also blocked Gandhi Setu and JP Setu, the long bridges on river Ganga in Hajipur in Vaishali and Saran district considered the lifeline connecting Patna to North Bihar. 

Reports reaching here from different places in the state suggest that protestors highlighted that the Election Commission’s SIR would hit the poor most, particularly those lacking documents.

The fear of removal of their names from the voting list haunts hundreds of thousands in Bihar who believe it will deprive them of voting in the Assembly election later this year.