Why Are Rahul Gandhi and INDIA Bloc MPs Protesting at the EC Today?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Rahul Gandhi leads a protest against electoral roll manipulation.
- Approximately 300 MPs from the INDIA bloc are participating.
- The march aims to ensure transparency from the Election Commission.
- The protest highlights concerns regarding the integrity of the democratic process.
- Public mobilization efforts are underway through online campaigns.
New Delhi, Aug 11 (NationPress) The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is set to spearhead a protest march involving approximately 300 MPs from the INDIA bloc to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi on Monday.
The march is scheduled to commence at 11:30 a.m. from the Parliament House and will span about one kilometer to reach the ECI office. This demonstration aims to express dissent against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and to highlight concerns regarding alleged electoral malpractices.
Joining Rahul Gandhi will be other prominent leaders and MPs from the opposition coalition.
The INDIA bloc accuses the ruling BJP administration of attempting to skew voter rolls in its favor, thereby jeopardizing the democratic framework.
The protest's objective is to compel the ECI to adopt transparent measures and uphold the integrity of voter lists.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will later host a dinner gathering for INDIA bloc MPs on Monday evening.
In the meantime, on Sunday, the Congress initiated an online campaign aimed at rallying public support against what it describes as "vote chori" (vote theft).
Rahul Gandhi posted on his X account, encouraging citizens to register on a newly established web portal — votechori.in/ecdemand, or to give a missed call to 9650003420 to back the initiative.
"Vote Chori is an assault on the core principle of 'one man, one vote'. A clean voter roll is essential for fair elections. Our demand from the EC is unambiguous - be transparent and publish digital voter rolls for public and party audits," Rahul Gandhi stated on X.
"This struggle is to safeguard our democracy," he emphasized.
In a related issue, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka has reached out to Rahul Gandhi, requesting evidence to substantiate his claim that a voter had participated in the voting process twice during the previous Lok Sabha elections.