New Delhi, Nov 18 (NationPress) The Congress party has declared plans for a significant demonstration at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan in the first week of December, following a nationwide signature campaign against alleged “vote-chori”, claiming to have amassed five crore signatures.

This decision was made after a high-level gathering of state and national Congress leaders to finalize the party's approach in the 12 states where the Election Commission has initiated the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.

The meeting, which included prominent officials such as state unit presidents, Congress Legislative Party leaders, general secretaries, and secretaries, was held in Delhi, chaired by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and attended by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

During the meeting, Kharge emphasized the party's dedication to maintaining the integrity of electoral rolls and criticized the Election Commission's management of the SIR process. He stated, “When public confidence in democratic institutions is already strained, the Election Commission’s conduct during the SIR process has been deeply disappointing.”

Kharge urged the election authority to “immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the shadow” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and to “remember its Constitutional oath and allegiance to the people of India.” He accused the SIR initiative of being a mechanism to eliminate targeted segments of voters and to benefit the BJP.

Later, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal and national spokesperson Pawan Khera briefed the media, revealing that the party conducted a thorough strategic review with leaders from states and Union Territories engaging in the SIR process.

Venugopal asserted that the SIR is designed to erase specific names from electoral lists, citing Bihar as an example where similar tactics have been allegedly employed. He raised concerns regarding the rushed nature of the exercise, arguing that it typically requires six months to a year, and noted the administrative strain on Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

The Congress leader highlighted reports of suicides among officials in states such as Kerala, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh due to pressure. He mentioned that in Kerala, where local body elections are imminent with the first phase of polls scheduled for December 9, the state Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution to delay the SIR.

He claimed that the state Chief Electoral Officer has requested the Election Commission of India to postpone the exercise, but the commission has been unresponsive.

Announcing a large rally at Ramlila Maidan early next month, Venugopal stated that the Congress will contest the Election Commission’s “attempt to destroy democracy.”

Khera added that there was a consensus against the “politicisation” of the Election Commission during Tuesday’s meeting.

Reinforcing the party's allegations of foul play in Bihar, he claimed that “vote chori” is now being attempted nationwide. According to Khera, Congress leaders at the meeting concurred that the SIR exercise aims to delete votes rather than add names.