The Himachal Pradesh Congress aims to send 15,000 workers to a New Delhi rally, demanding a return to ballot papers and protesting against alleged electoral irregularities and EVM usage under the INDIA bloc’s leadership campaign.
Himachal Congress Mobilizes Workers for Delhi Rally
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 30 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh Congress has targeted mobilising 10,000 to 15,000 party workers for the INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1, demanding the replacement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with ballot papers and alleging irregularities in the electoral process.
The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president, Vinay Kumar, said the party had arranged around 200 buses, both government and private, along with more than 500 other vehicles to transport party workers from the state to the national capital for the rally.
Details on Party Participation
Addressing reporters in Shimla, Kumar said ministers, MLAs, chairpersons, board and corporation directors, women workers, Youth Congress, NSUI, Seva Dal and other frontal organisations, besides ordinary party workers, would participate in the rally. “We are targeting around 10,000 to 15,000 workers from Himachal Pradesh for the rally in Delhi. We have arranged around 200 buses, both government and private, and more than 500 other vehicles to transport people. Women, youth, NSUI, Seva Dal, members of frontal organisations and ordinary party workers will all participate,” Kumar said.
Congress Stance on Democracy and EVMs
He said the rally was aimed at protecting democracy and the Constitution, alleging that the Congress was fighting against electoral irregularities under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. “The issue today is that we have to save democracy and keep our Constitution alive. The Congress party is fighting this battle, and under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, we are taking this fight forward,” he said.
Kumar alleged that whenever the opposition questioned the government over alleged vote theft, it faced police action, arrests and the use of force. “When we ask the government why vote theft is happening, it responds with lathi-charge, arrests and the use of voter cannons. We have now decided that we will go to Delhi and raise our voice. Let the BJP government do whatever it wants,” he said.
The HPCC chief said the Congress considered voting rights fundamental to democracy and maintained that peaceful protest was its constitutional right. He alleged that the BJP was responsible for electoral irregularities and claimed that around 13 crore votes had been deleted, leading to the formation of governments through alleged vote theft.
Kumar also reiterated the Congress demand for holding elections through ballot papers instead of EVMs, claiming that the party had won elections in Gujarat and other places where the influence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was strong. “We are demanding throughout the country that elections should be conducted through ballot papers. We have also won elections, including in Gujarat, and we have won through ballot papers,” he said.
He further said the Congress would take its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities to every corner of Himachal Pradesh and make people aware of the issue. Questioning the BJP’s allegations of political disorder, Kumar said the Congress was exercising its democratic right to protest against what it considered electoral malpractice. He said the INDIA bloc was targeting a gathering of at least 10 lakh people at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, with Himachal Pradesh expected to contribute between 10,000 and 15,000 participants. The rally is being organised as part of the opposition’s campaign against alleged vote theft and electoral irregularities, with the Congress demanding greater transparency in the electoral process and a return to ballot paper-based voting. (ANI)
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