New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, addressing the Congress Working Committee meeting on September 29, stepped up the party’s attack over
voter-list changes and the functioning of the Election Commission, saying the Congress is once again faced with the “historic responsibility” of protecting democracy and the Constitution. Kharge said the right to vote, which he described as a hard-won democratic right, is now under threat. Referring to allegations of deletions and discrepancies in electoral rolls, he accused the Chief Election Commissioner of acting as a “puppet” of the Modi government. Citing Dr BR Ambedkar’s remarks in the Constituent Assembly on the importance of the franchise, Kharge said voter names cannot be removed at the “whim” of an officer. He also alleged that changes to Form 6 rules were aimed at disenfranchising young voters. The Congress president backed Rahul Gandhi’s earlier allegations concerning voter data in Mahadevapura, Aland, Haryana and Maharashtra, referring to issues including duplicate voters, doubtful addresses, multiple voters registered at the same address and Form 6 entries. Kharge also questioned the Election Commission over the decision on SIR and asked why two Election Commissioners were kept out of the Internal Portal.
Congress raises 5 demands:
• Full public disclosure of data relating to major changes in voter lists
• Information and an opportunity to appeal for voters whose names have been deleted
• Timely access for political parties to voter lists and related data in a simple format
• Independent and time-bound probes wherever serious discrepancies are found
• Greater transparency in electoral data and decision-making
Kharge stressed that the Congress’ stated fight is not against any particular institution, party or individual, but for the rights of voters, the Constitution and the democratic system.
He also said the Election Commission must be strong and credible enough for both the ruling party and Opposition to have confidence in its decisions.
With elections due in five states, Kharge called for ensuring that every eligible voter’s vote remains protected and that the electoral process retains public confidence.
“The voter list must be transparent, the electoral process must be fair, institutions must be independent, and every eligible citizen’s vote must be protected,” Kharge said.
