Telangana Congress joins ‘Save the Vote’ rally in Delhi

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy led a contingent of more than 25,000 people from the state at an INDIA bloc rally in New Delhi on Sunday, November 1. The protest targeted alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and what the Congress calls ‘Vote Chori’. In a post on X, Revanth Reddy said he had […]HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy led a contingent of more than 25,000 people from the state at an INDIA bloc rally in New Delhi on Sunday, November 1. The protest targeted alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and what the Congress calls ‘Vote Chori’. In a post on X, Revanth Reddy said he had joined the gathering to raise his voice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the alleged theft of people's voting rights. He also challenged the Prime Minister's intelligence agencies to assess the situation on the ground and report the public mood and anger over the issue. The INDIA bloc organised the rally, titled ‘Save the Vote, Save the Nation’, at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. Opposition parties raised objections to the revision of electoral rolls and demanded accountability from the Election Commission. Telangana Congress mobilises workers for November 1 rally The Telangana Congress leadership initially aimed to mobilise around 15,000 party leaders and workers for the rally. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, state ministers, MPs, MLAs and other party representatives travelled to Delhi. According to reports, the Congress arranged more than 100 special sleeper buses to transport party workers from Telangana to the national capital. The party also sought special trains to carry around 10,000 to 15,000 participants. However, the South Central Railway reportedly denied permission at the last minute. In response, Mahesh Kumar Goud, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and hundreds of Congress workers staged a protest at Secunderabad railway station. Police detained some demonstrators, according to The Hans India. Opposition questions electoral roll revision and alleged voter deletions The INDIA bloc rally focused on opposition parties' objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged deletions of voters' names. Congress leaders argued that the exercise could affect citizens' voting rights, particularly among disadvantaged communities. They also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Earlier, Revanth Reddy questioned the reported reduction in the country's electorate despite population growth. He alleged that authorities had deleted nearly 13 crore voter names. He also questioned the figures cited in the electoral revision exercise. However, independent verification of these figures and allegations remains necessary. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision aims to remove duplicate and ineligible entries. It has rejected allegations of political bias. The poll body has also said voters can seek re-enrolment if authorities wrongly delete their names. Rahul Gandhi leads INDIA bloc mobilisation in Delhi Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi led the opposition mobilisation in Delhi. The programme included a proposed march from Minto Road junction near Connaught Place. Participants were expected to pass through Ajmeri Gate before reaching Ramlila Maidan. Opposition leaders and supporters from different parts of the country attended the rally. Thousands gathered at Ramlila Maidan as police and paramilitary personnel maintained security. Authorities also deployed surveillance cameras and drones to monitor the gathering. Meanwhile, the BJP and the Centre rejected the opposition's allegations concerning the electoral revision exercise. Union Health Minister J P Nadda criticised the rally. He described it as an attempt to create disorder, according to Reuters. ]]>