Gujarat Congress to deploy 'vote guardians' at booths ahead of Nov 1 Delhi rally
Synopsis
Gujarat Congress is deploying 'vote guardians' at every polling booth and staging chaupals to press its case that India's electoral rolls are riddled with fake entries — culminating in a Ramlila Maidan rally on 1 November. With the party citing its own audit showing 12% suspicious voters in one Navsari-area segment and demanding the CEC's removal, the campaign marks one of the most direct opposition attacks on the Election Commission in recent years.
Key Takeaways
GPCC president Amit Chavda announced 'vote guardians' at every polling booth and 'chaupal' meetings as part of the 'Save Vote, Save Country' campaign on 25 October 2026 .
Congress will hold a nationwide rally at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi on 1 November .
Party audit of Choryasi Assembly constituency allegedly found 12% of verified voters were fake or suspicious; Congress extrapolates this to more than 60 lakh bogus voters in Gujarat.
ECI's own SIR data reportedly found 74 lakh of 5.08 crore Gujarat voters ( 14.61% ) untraceable, deceased, duplicate, or migrated, according to Chavda.
Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan alleged more than 13 crore names were removed from rolls across 30 states through the SIR process.
Congress demands removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar , a transparent appointment process, and criminal action against those found guilty.
The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) announced on Sunday, 25 October 2026 that it will appoint 'vote guardians' at every polling booth across the state and hold grassroots 'chaupal' meetings to raise awareness about alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The moves are part of the party's 'Save Vote, Save Country' campaign, which culminates in a nationwide rally at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi on 1 November.
What the Campaign Involves
The announcement was made by GPCC president Amit Chavda at a press conference held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in Ahmedabad, also attended by former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan. The campaign will begin with nationwide press conferences on 25 October, followed by booth-level meetings ahead of the 1 November rally.
Chavda said the party had already mobilised support through its parallel 'Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod' signature drive. 'More than 10 lakh people from Gujarat have participated in the 'Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod' signature campaign, supporting the demand to save democracy,' he said.
The Electoral Roll Allegations
At the centre of the Congress campaign are allegations of large-scale discrepancies in Gujarat's voter lists. Chavda cited the party's examination of electoral rolls in the Choryasi Assembly constituency, which falls under the Navsari Lok Sabha seat represented by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil. According to Chavda, verification of 40 per cent of voters in that segment found that 12 per cent were allegedly fake or suspicious entries.
The party had first raised the issue on 30 August 2025, claiming the ratio could indicate more than 60 lakh bogus voters across Gujarat — allegations the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) reportedly rejected at the time.
Chavda further pointed to figures from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, quoting what he described as the ECI's own data: that 74 lakh of the 5.08 crore voters examined in Gujarat — or 14.61 per cent — were found to be untraceable, deceased, duplicate entries, or migrants. He alleged this scale of discrepancy raised questions about BJP election victories in the state since 2002.
Prithviraj Chavan's Broader Charges
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan extended the allegations beyond Gujarat, claiming that electoral rolls in several states contained serious discrepancies — including repeated photographs and inconsistencies in voter names. Referring to findings cited by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Chavan alleged irregularities in Haryana, including the reported repeated use of a Brazilian actress's photograph in voter records.
Chavan also claimed that the SIR process had resulted in the removal of more than 13 crore names across 30 states. He criticised requirements under Form 6 for new voter registration, alleging that young applicants were being asked to provide details of the polling booths where their parents or grandparents had voted in 2003 — a condition he said risked excluding eligible voters.
Key Demands
Chavan demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, a transparent appointment process for the CEC's successor, changes to electoral law, and criminal proceedings against those found guilty of wrongdoing. Congress said the agitation would continue through booth-level meetings and awareness programmes until voters' rights were protected and public confidence in the electoral process was restored.
The BJP has not yet issued a formal response to Sunday's announcements. The 1 November rally at Ramlila Maidan is expected to draw Congress workers and supporters from multiple states.
Point of View
Save Country' campaign is Congress's sharpest institutional attack in years — directly naming the sitting CEC and demanding his removal, not merely questioning a process. The Choryasi audit figure of 12% suspicious entries, if replicable, is politically explosive, but the party has so far not released independently verifiable methodology. Notably, the campaign dovetails with Gujarat's electoral calendar and the BJP's long dominance in the state, raising the question of whether this is a genuine democratic intervention or an attempt to pre-emptively contest future results. The larger number — 13 crore names removed nationally — remains unverified from an independent source, and mainstream coverage has so far passed it without scrutiny.
NationPress
25 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Gujarat Congress 'Save Vote, Save Country' campaign?
It is a campaign launched by the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee to counter alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, under which the party will appoint 'vote guardians' at every polling booth and hold 'chaupal' meetings across the state. The campaign culminates in a nationwide rally at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi on 1 November.
What specific electoral roll irregularities has Congress alleged in Gujarat?
Congress says its audit of the Choryasi Assembly constituency found that 12% of the 40% of voters it verified were allegedly fake or suspicious. The party claims this ratio, if applied statewide, could mean more than 60 lakh bogus voters exist across Gujarat — allegations the BJP and ECI have reportedly denied.
What does Congress demand from the Election Commission?
The party demands the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a transparent appointment process for his successor, amendments to electoral law, and criminal proceedings against anyone found guilty of manipulating voter rolls.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and why is Congress citing it?
The SIR is an Election Commission process to clean up voter lists by identifying untraceable, deceased, duplicate, or migrated entries. Congress cites ECI's own reported SIR data — that 74 lakh of 5.08 crore Gujarat voters examined were flagged — as evidence supporting its claims of large-scale roll discrepancies.
When and where is the Congress rally being held?
Congress has announced a nationwide rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on 1 November. The campaign begins with nationwide press conferences on 25 October, followed by booth-level chaupal meetings leading up to the rally.
