Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday announced that it will hold a rally on December 14 at Ramlila Maidan here, against the alleged "vote chori".
It alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is now a "blatantly partisan player" that is "completely destroying" the very concept of a level-playing field for all political parties during elections.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the spectre of "vote chori" is the biggest danger looming over our democracy today.
"To send a message across the nation against these attempts to destroy our Constitution, the Congress will hold the 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod' Maha Rally on December 14 (1.30 pm onwards) at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi," he said on X.
"We have received crores of signatures from every corner of India, rejecting the BJP-ECI's nefarious tactics like adding bogus voters, deleting opposition-inclined voters, and manipulating voter rolls at a mass scale," Venugopal said.
Every Indian has seen how the ECI bends rules, ignores violations of model code of conduct, and indulges in daylight bribery to help the BJP rig elections, the Congress leader alleged.
"The ECI, which was once a neutral umpire, is now a blatantly partisan player -- completely destroying the very concept of a level-playing field in elections," he said.
"We will not remain silent as this attack on the electoral system unfolds in front of our eyes. This Maha Rally is only the beginning of our fight to reclaim Indian democracy from the clutches of the Vote Chors!" Venugopal said.
Earlier this week, the Congress accused the Election Commission of working on a "sinister design" to destroy the democracy and opposition parties through a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and vowed to take to the streets with a protest rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Upping the ante over its 'vote chori' pitch, the Congress had said that the poll body's conduct during the SIR process has been "deeply disappointing" as the exercise is aimed at deleting targeted votes.
The party had demanded that the Election Commission must immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the BJP's shadow.
Days after the Bihar poll debacle, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday chaired a meeting with key office-bearers from 12 states and Union Territories (UT), where the SIR is underway. He had alleged that the BJP is attempting to "weaponise" the SIR exercise for "vote chori".
Kharge, MP and former party president Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretaries had participated in a review meeting with state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders and secretaries of 12 states and UTs where the SIR is underway.
The states and UTs are Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal will go to polls in 2026. Phase 2 of the SIR exercise began on November 4 and will continue till December 4.