The INDIA bloc will hold rallies in Tripura and Delhi to demand voting rights protection and transparency in electoral roll revision. Congress leader Pradeep Jain Aditya announced an October 30 Agartala meeting and a November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan.
The Congress and its INDIA bloc partners will organise a series of programmes across Tripura over the next two months to demand protection of voting rights and greater transparency in electoral roll revision, Congress general secretary and central observer for Tripura Pradeep Jain Aditya announced on Monday.
Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Agartala, Aditya said the campaign would include a public meeting in Agartala on October 30 and a major INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1. He said the Delhi rally would be led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
According to Aditya, the Congress expects around 10 lakh people to participate in the Delhi rally, with leaders and supporters of various INDIA bloc constituents joining the mobilisation. He said the campaign aimed to draw public attention to concerns over electoral roll revision and ensure that eligible citizens were not deprived of their democratic rights.
Emphasising the constitutional importance of voting, Aditya said Article 326 of the Constitution provides for elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies on the basis of adult suffrage, subject to the conditions prescribed by law. He maintained that the right to vote should not be treated as a concession granted by any government.
The Congress leader expressed concern over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that irregularities in the process could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral lists. He called for transparency in the preparation, verification and revision of voter records.
Aditya said the deletion of a voter’s name without proper notice and adherence to the prescribed procedure was a serious concern. He demanded that complaints of wrongful deletion be examined promptly and that eligible voters whose names had been removed incorrectly be restored to the electoral rolls in accordance with the applicable rules.
Referring to an alleged incident involving a BJP Member of Parliament, Aditya claimed that the parliamentarian’s name could not be found on the electoral roll when the MP went to cast a vote in a recent election. He argued that such incidents raised questions about the accuracy of electoral records and the effectiveness of the verification process.
Aditya also criticised the BJP’s response to concerns surrounding electoral roll revision. He alleged that the party had defended the Election Commission rather than supporting demands for an impartial examination of complaints. The Congress leader called for a thorough review of alleged irregularities and corrective action wherever errors were established.
The November 1 rally in Delhi, he said, would bring together opposition parties and supporters to raise concerns about electoral transparency and the protection of democratic rights. He stressed that the campaign was not limited to the Congress but was intended to involve INDIA bloc partners and citizens concerned about the electoral process.
In addition to electoral issues, Aditya raised concerns about unemployment and alleged drug-related activities in Tripura. He claimed that both had become serious problems under the present state government and argued that voting remained an important democratic means through which citizens could express their views and seek political change.
He urged Congress workers, supporters and INDIA bloc members in Tripura to participate in the planned programmes and help mobilise people for the Delhi rally. The Agartala meeting on October 30 is expected to serve as part of the broader campaign to raise awareness about voting rights and electoral roll revision.
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Senior Congress leader and party spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty, along with other state leaders, attended the press conference.
The proposed rallies are expected to intensify the opposition’s campaign for greater accountability in electoral roll management. The concerns raised by the Congress remain allegations made by the party, and questions regarding individual cases of voter deletion would require examination by the relevant election authorities.
