Bihar: Trains Halted, Highways Blocked As INDIA Bloc Erupts In Protest Over Voter Roll Revision & Labour Code (VISUALS)

Patna: Massive protests swept through Bihar on Tuesday, July 8, as members of the INDIA bloc, including the RJD, Congress, other Left parties, and the Mahagathbandhan allies, took to the streets against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the central government's new labour code.

Roads were barricaded with burning tyres and railway tracks were blocked, bringing movement to a standstill in several districts across Bihar.

Early visuals from Hajipur showed RJD supporters blocking the Gandhi Setu, one of the key road links in the state. In Sonpur, the protest was led by RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan, with thick police presence deployed to manage the crowd. Jehanabad saw students from the RJD’s youth wing occupying railway tracks, disrupting train services.

Local leaders are leading demonstrations in multiple districts, including Sonpur, Hajipur, and Jehanabad, raising slogans against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out the SIR process just months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. Protesters allege the revision is being conducted hastily and is designed to benefit the ruling NDA by selectively altering voter lists.

Here are some visuals from the scene:

Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav to Lead March in Patna

Later in the day, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is expected to join RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for a protest march in Patna. The two leaders will walk from the Income Tax office at Golambar to the Election Commission office, raising their voices against what they call “undemocratic” actions.

At a press conference on Monday, Tejashwi Yadav criticised both the SIR and the implementation of the new labour code. “This process is creating confusion and is clearly rushed. It is meant to manipulate the voter base ahead of elections,” he said, flanked by Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar and leaders from Left parties.

The protest also coincides with a Bharat Bandh called by 10 central trade unions demanding a nationwide minimum wage and labour reforms.