In New Delhi on Thursday, the Congress party pushed its case against alleged vote‑fraud and brought a fresh plan to the President. The party will hand a memorandum—backed by more than 5 crore signatures—to President Droupadi Murmu on November 8, demanding urgent action by the Election Commission.
K. C. Venugopal, the Congress’ general secretary for Organisation, said the mass‑signature drive is proof that millions of citizens are still upset over what they call “naked murder of democracy.” The protest points to duplicate ballots, fake voter entries and forged addresses that the party says have tainted the electoral rolls.
Venugopal outlined five clear demands made by voters. First, the Election Commission must prosecute any officials or agents who suppress votes. Second, a machine‑readable voter list with photographs should be posted online for public inspection. Third, all lists of deletions and additions, with photos, must be released before each election. Fourth, the Commission should set up a ready‑to‑respond grievance system for wrongful deletions. Fifth, the date for making changes to the electoral roll must be fixed well before elections so that last‑minute manipulation is stopped.
Rahul Gandhi, the party’s leader in Parliament, has long accused the ruling BJP of running a “vote‑chori” network that works with the Election Commission. He said that the scheme cuts straight to the heart of the people’s mandate.
The Congress’ nationwide “Vote Chor Gaddi Chod” signature campaign is part of a larger movement to defend democracy. It started on September 15 after state‑level rallies from August 22 to September 7 and has already seen lakhs of voters sign up across districts and blocks. Party workers, community leaders, and ordinary citizens all signed the same petition in protest.
On Wednesday, Congress leaders met and agreed to conclude the first phase of the campaign with flag‑off events at every state headquarters on November 8. Senior party figures will attend those events to show united resolve, Venugopal said. Once the ceremonies finish, all signatures will be collected at the AICC headquarters and the campaign will start gathering even more signatures from across India.
Ultimately, the signatures—representing millions of voices—will be sent to the President. The Congress says this step will force the Election Commission to act, ensuring a transparent, fair, and trustworthy electoral process for all Indians.
“We’re not just campaigning; we’re building a citizen’s movement that demands accountability, transparency and a real restoration of faith in our democracy,” Venugopal added. “The Congress stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of India in this fight to protect the soul of our democracy.”
Source: ianslive
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