Congress campaign against vote chori to help re-enroll voters whose names were deleted in SIR
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Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge addressing media representatives at his residence in Kalaburagi on Saturday. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
The Congress on Monday (October 5, 2026) announced a series of nationwide campaigns against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged vote theft, using a slogan of ‘Vote bachao, desh bachao (Save your vote, save the country’.
Congress workers will reach out to more than 13.3 crore people whose names have been struck off the voters’ list during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and will try to get them re-enrolled with the help of “vote rakshaks [guardians]” at each polling booth.
The announcement was made after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chaired a two-hour-long meeting of party general secretaries, State in-charges, and Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs at the Indira Bhawan here. Former Congress chief and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.
“The Election Commission has become the Cheating Commission of India,” Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said. “[Gyanesh Kumar] is not leaving, even as the entire country wants him to be removed. We are not going to allow him to sit on the chair. We will ensure that he is removed,” he added.
The principal Opposition party will also reach out to other parties outside the INDIA bloc, like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Aam Aadmi Party, and invite them to join the planned protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India on Tuesday (October 6) and a mega INDIA bloc rally in Delhi on November 1.
“We are inviting all the Oppostion parties to be part of the November 1 rally at the Ramlila Maidan,” general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh said.
Sources told The Hindu that, in the closed door meeting, Mr. Kharge said the Opposition party should “oust the CEC now”, but also cautioned that the ruling party may use distractions as “they [the BJP] know they have been caught out”.
Mr. Gandhi said the alleged “vote chori [theft]”is a people’s issue and the party’s campaign should be designed in such a way that common people should participate in the programmes to protect their voting rights.
The campaign will start at the grassroot level, Mr. Venugopal said. From October 10 to 20, block-level marches will be held, culminating at Sub Divisional Magistrates offices under the ‘Vote bachao, Desh bachao’ umbrella.
“Village chaupals will be held in every village, where our workers will explain Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s modus operandi of vote chori, and village leaders and heads will be invited. Booth level agents (BLAs), our vote rakshaks, will have the task of identifying every voter deleted unfairly and ensuring their re-enrollment,” Mr. Venugopal said.
The Congress will then take out six Delhi Chalo rallies from locations in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh on November 25, culminating in an event in Delhi on Constitution Day, November 26.
“Our fight is to the finish. We will keep fighting on the streets until Gyanesh [Kumar] is removed, arrested, and prosecuted,” Mr. Venugopal said.
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