In a significant political move, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) today launched a nationwide signature campaign aimed at collecting 5 crore signatures to petition the President of India over the issue of alleged ‘Vote Chori’ and electoral irregularities. This initiative, spearheaded by AICC General Secretary G.A. Mir, seeks to raise awareness about voting rights and combat electoral malpractice.
The campaign officially commenced on September 15 and will continue until October 15. During a press conference held in Omoh, Verinag in South Kashmir’s Anantnag, Mir emphasized that the drive aims to halt what he termed the ‘theft of votes orchestrated through collusion’ between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mir alleged that under various arrangements, approximately 65 lakh votes have already been deleted in Bihar, leading him to label these actions as a “murder of democracy.” Through this campaign, he hopes to mobilize citizens towards advocating for their electoral rights.
“We are aiming for 5 crore signatures to present the petition to the President. Our campaign has made people aware of the importance of their vote and sensitized them to the protection of electoral rights — a first since Independence,”
Mir stated while emphasizing the campaign’s significance. He further alleged that incidents of vote deletion and obstruction of voters reaching polling booths continue to occur in various regions across the country.
According to Mir, “Vote Chori is a crime, a blot on democracy, and a direct assault on the electoral rights of people.” These comments follow a broader discourse on electoral integrity that has gained traction in Indian politics.
Highlighting leadership within the party, Mir mentioned that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, has exposed systemic manipulation, including both the deletion of genuine voters and the registration of fake votes in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and now Bihar under SIR.
The Congress Party asserts that it will continue to combat what it describes as the ‘ECI-BJP nexus’ to protect voter identity and electoral rights. Mir reinforced this sentiment in a social media post, stating:
“Powerful start to the Signature Campaign against ‘Vote Chori’ today in Doru Constituency, Anantnag! Hundreds of committed workers joined from my own polling booth to safeguard our democracy. Every signature counts! We won’t let our voices be stolen.”
In attendance at the launch was MLA Nizam Ud Din Bhat, who characterized the movement as an “indigenous people’s movement” spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi to protect democracy and voter rights.
The Congress Party’s signature campaign thus represents a critical step towards engaging citizens in the fight against electoral malpractice, highlighting the need for transparency and integrity in India’s democratic process.
