Congress Launches ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ Campaign Over Voter Deletions
The Congress on Monday announced a nationwide “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying its organisation will reach out to people whose names have been left out of voter lists and assist eligible voters in seeking their restoration.
The campaign was announced after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chaired a meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges and state unit chiefs at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi. Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders also attended the meeting.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party has identified more than 13.3 crore names left out of draft electoral rolls across six states and plans to use its network of around 10 lakh booths to reach affected households. Party workers, described as “Vote Rakshaks”, will identify voters whose names are missing and help them seek inclusion in the electoral rolls.
The Congress will intensify the campaign in phases. INDIA bloc parties are holding district-level meetings and marches from October 2 to 8, while Congress plans bike and cycle rallies and padyatras between October 10 and 20. From October 25 to November 25, state and district-level rallies under the slogan “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao, CEC Hatao” and village-level chaupals are planned.
The programme also includes a mega INDIA bloc rally in Delhi on November 1 and six “Chalo Delhi” yatras on November 25 and 26, which will culminate in a demonstration in the national capital.
The campaign comes amid a wider dispute over the SIR process and the functioning of the Election Commission. A report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over decisions linked largely to SIR. The Election Commission has maintained that differing views are part of institutional deliberations and that its orders follow established legal procedures.
The 13.3-crore figure refers to names absent from draft rolls, and does not by itself establish that all those people were eligible voters wrongly deleted. The Election Commission has also directed officials in states where SIR has been completed to conduct special drives to enrol eligible voters who were left out.
Through the campaign, Congress is combining booth-level voter assistance with wider political mobilisation, seeking to make electoral-roll integrity and the role of the Election Commission central issues in its opposition strategy.