Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 6: The Congress on Thursday renewed its allegations of electoral manipulation, terming it “Vote Chori,” and announced plans to submit a memorandum with over 5 crore signatures to President Droupadi Murmu on November 8, seeking urgent corrective action.
K.C. Venugopal, AICC general secretary (Organisation), said the massive signature drive reflects widespread public anger and concern over “systematic attacks on democracy” through practices such as duplicate voting, fake entries, and fraudulent addresses in electoral rolls.
Under the party’s “Vote Chor Gaddi Chod” campaign, citizens have made five key demands from the Election Commission of India (ECI):
• Prosecute officials and agents involved in voter suppression.
• Publish a machine-readable voter list with photographs for public scrutiny.
• Release all voter addition and deletion lists with photos before each election.
• Set up a grievance redressal mechanism for wrongful deletions.
• Announce a clear cut-off date for voter list changes to prevent last-minute manipulations.
Venugopal said Congress has consistently raised concerns over large-scale electoral fraud undermining democratic processes, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi repeatedly highlighting alleged “vote chori” by the BJP in collusion with the ECI.
The signature campaign, launched on September 15 following successful state-level rallies, has engaged lakhs of citizens across districts, blocks, and mandals. Party workers, community leaders, and professionals joined the door-to-door initiative to protest ongoing subversion of electoral norms.
During a recent meeting of general secretaries, in-charges, and PCC presidents, it was decided that the first phase of the campaign will culminate with flag-off events at all State Headquarters on November 8, attended by senior leaders to showcase the party’s unity and determination.
All collected signatures will be sent to AICC Headquarters, with further collection continuing nationwide. Venugopal emphasized that the campaign is more than a political initiative—it is a citizens’ movement demanding accountability, transparency, and the restoration of public faith in the electoral process.
“The Congress Party stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of India in this collective call to protect the soul of our democracy,” he said.