Hundreds of Congress workers dressed in black took out a march from Patang Hotel to Sardar Bagh in Ahmedabad, followed by a sit-in protest and the burning of an effigy of the Election Commissioner.
“Vote theft is a betrayal of the people’s right to vote. Deleting the name of a genuine voter from the electoral roll amounts to a direct attack on their democratic right.” — Amit Chavda
“Gyanesh Kumar has betrayed the country and its people.” — Amit Chavda
“The Election Commission is an autonomous and neutral institution, but today it has become a puppet of the Modi government.” — Amit Chavda
“The alleged conspiracy of vote theft involving the Modi government and Gyanesh Kumar has been exposed.” — Amit Chavda
“Remove Gyanesh Kumar from his post immediately and initiate legal action against him.” — Amit Chavda
“Under the Modi government, after paper theft and donation theft, there is now an alleged attempt to steal votes and even the Election Commission itself.” — Amit Chavda
“Deleting the names of genuine voters in the name of SIR is a direct attack on their voting rights. We will not allow injustice to even a single voter.” — Dr. Tushar Chaudhary
“The Election Commission should work according to the Constitution and not at the direction of those in power. It must answer questions regarding alleged irregularities in SIR and take strict action against those responsible.” — Dr. Tushar Chaudhary
Ahmedabad witnessed a strong protest organised by the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee over allegations of irregularities in the electoral process, protection of voting rights and transparency in elections.
Led by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda, Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Dr. Tushar Chaudhary and senior party leaders, hundreds of Congress workers wearing black clothes participated in the protest.
The march began near Patang Hotel and proceeded towards Sardar Bagh, where Congress leaders and workers staged a sit-in protest and raised demands for greater transparency in the electoral process and protection of voters’ constitutional rights. At the conclusion of the programme, an effigy of the Election Commissioner was burnt as a mark of protest.
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda alleged that there are serious questions surrounding the functioning of the Election Commission and the electoral process. He said the Election Commission is an autonomous constitutional institution responsible for protecting citizens’ voting rights and conducting elections in a neutral and transparent manner.
Chavda alleged that the Modi government had turned the Election Commission into a “puppet” and said serious questions had been raised regarding its role in what Congress describes as a “vote theft” controversy.
He said Rahul Gandhi had been raising questions about alleged electoral irregularities since 2023 and had held several press conferences, undertaken campaigns and protests, conducted signature campaigns, submitted memoranda and raised the issue in Parliament.
According to Chavda, these concerns were earlier dismissed as allegations by the Opposition. He said that questions have now emerged regarding alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, including claims of wrongful deletion of voters’ names and possible impact on the voting rights of genuine voters.
Congress also alleged that there are serious concerns about the possible addition of ineligible or incorrect names in the electoral rolls in a manner that could benefit the BJP. These allegations, according to the party, raise questions about the impartiality of the electoral process.
Congress has demanded an impartial and lawful investigation into all allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission. It has also demanded an impartial inquiry into the allegations made against Gyanesh Kumar and said that, if any wrongdoing or violation of law is established, appropriate legal action should be taken against those responsible.
The Congress has further demanded that Gyanesh Kumar be removed from his post and that the allegations against him be investigated according to law.
Chavda said the issue of alleged vote irregularities is not merely a matter concerning one political party but relates to the constitutional voting rights of every citizen. He said that if any individual or institution interferes with voters’ rights, responsibility must be fixed and legal action should follow wherever wrongdoing is established.
Gujarat Congress said the protest was intended to send a clear message that the party would oppose any alleged irregularity affecting voters’ rights. The party has demanded that the Election Commission provide clear and transparent answers to questions concerning SIR and electoral rolls, conduct an impartial inquiry into alleged irregularities, protect the voting rights of genuine voters and take legal action against those found responsible for any wrongdoing.
Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly Dr. Tushar Chaudhary said serious questions had emerged regarding the Election Commission’s SIR process and alleged that ordinary voters could be affected.
He particularly referred to voters belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Bakshipanch and economically disadvantaged communities in tribal areas, and said that any attempt to target or exclude their votes would not be accepted by the Congress.
Chaudhary said an electoral roll is not the property of any government or political party but is the foundation of citizens’ democratic rights. He demanded that if genuine voters’ names were deleted or incorrect names added during SIR, responsibility should be established.
He urged the Election Commission to function according to the Constitution and demanded public answers to questions concerning SIR and electoral rolls, along with a transparent investigation and legal action if any irregularities are established.
The protest was attended by former Union Minister and former Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Bharatsinh Solanki, AICC CEC member Dr. Ameeben Yajnik, AICC Secretary and Gujarat Congress co-in-charge Subhashini Yadav, Ahmedabad City Congress President Sonal Patel, Ahmedabad District Congress President Rajesh Gohil, MLA Imran Khedawala, Kantibhai Kharadi, Dineshji Thakor, corporators, city and district committee leaders and hundreds of Congress workers.
The Ahmedabad protest saw Gujarat Congress reiterate its demands for transparency in the electoral process, protection of voters’ constitutional rights and an impartial examination of the allegations concerning SIR and electoral rolls.
