A day after the INDIA bloc's big show at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, the BJP took its counter-campaign to the streets. On Monday, November 2, BJP national president Nitin Nabin walked at the head of the NDA's 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' (Save Democracy, End Anarchy) padyatra in Bhagalpur, Bihar, before the march moved on to Kolkata the same afternoon.
The message was blunt: the BJP says the opposition's 'vote chori' (vote theft) campaign against the Election Commission is damaging India's democratic image, and it plans to answer it village by village.
Why the BJP Started This Campaign
The padyatras are the BJP's direct reply to the INDIA bloc, which has spent the past weeks accusing the ruling party of forming governments on a 'stolen mandate' and targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. That campaign peaked at the opposition's Ramlila Maidan rally on November 1.
The BJP describes its own drive as an effort to counter what it calls misinformation, disinformation and 'organised anarchy' from the opposition. Party workers have been asked to reach villages and households to explain the BJP's side. Nabin had already led a similar march in Rohtak, Haryana, on Sunday, where he criticised Congress for holding its rally on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The Bhagalpur March
Nabin landed at Bhagalpur airport to a welcome from NDA supporters and drove into the city through Tilka Manjhi, Adampur and Manik Sarkar Chowk. The padyatra began at the historic Lajpat Park, his first visit there since taking over as BJP president, and wound through Kharmanchak and Bhamashah Chowk. Event coordinator Nitesh Singh put the route at roughly 1,300 metres.
Short as it was, the walk was designed as a show of strength in a region where the NDA wants to keep its grip after last year's Assembly elections.
What Nitin Nabin Said
Speaking to supporters, Nabin went after Rahul Gandhi directly. He said the Congress leader was concerned only with his family's political survival, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi treated the country's 1.4 billion people as his family. He described Modi as the nation's 'mukhya sevak' and 'chowkidar'.
The BJP chief also accused the opposition of double standards. In his words, the opposition is happy with democracy when it wins states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, but starts questioning institutions when it loses. He said Rahul Gandhi had not properly taken up the Election Commission's invitation to discuss his allegations openly, and accused him of hurting India's image abroad.
He closed by saying voters would give their answer at the ballot box, and that the opposition would keep losing support if it continued what he called 'negative politics'.
Bihar Ministers Defend the Election Commission
Bihar Urban Development Minister Nitish Mishra, who is also in charge of Bhagalpur, defended the poll body as independent. He said around 65 lakh entries, including dead, shifted and duplicate voters, were removed during the electoral roll revision before the Bihar Assembly polls, while about 21.5 lakh new eligible voters were added. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary accused the opposition of trying to weaken democratic institutions and of putting pressure on the Supreme Court.
Kolkata Leg: College Street to Dharmatala
From Bihar, the campaign moved to West Bengal, where the stakes are arguably higher. The Kolkata padyatra was scheduled from 3 pm to 5:30 pm, starting at College Street and ending at Dharmatala, with senior leaders, state BJP presidents and party workers expected to join Nabin. Bengal has been at the centre of the voter-roll fight, with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drawing lakhs of appeals.
| Campaign | Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao (Save Democracy, End Anarchy) |
| Led by | BJP national president Nitin Nabin |
| Date | Monday, November 2, 2026 |
| Bihar leg | Bhagalpur, from Lajpat Park via Kharmanchak and Bhamashah Chowk |
| Bengal leg | Kolkata, College Street to Dharmatala (scheduled 3 pm to 5:30 pm) |
| Earlier march | Rohtak, Haryana, on November 1 |
| Aim | Counter the INDIA bloc's 'vote chori' campaign |
What It Means for Voters
For ordinary voters, the street battle is really about one question: can they trust the voter list and the institution that runs elections? The opposition says the rolls have been manipulated. The BJP and the Election Commission say revisions are cleaning out dead and duplicate names and adding new voters.
Whichever side you lean towards, the practical step is the same: check that your name appears correctly on the electoral roll, especially in states where revisions are underway, and use the official claims and objections process if it does not.
What Happens Next
The BJP has called this a nationwide campaign, so expect more padyatras led by national and state leaders in the coming weeks. The INDIA bloc, for its part, has shown no sign of dropping its attack on the Election Commission. With the Bengal SIR still in progress and several state elections on the horizon, the war of words over 'vote chori' and 'anarchy' looks set to dominate political headlines through the winter.
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