Congress to Submit 5 Crore Signatures to President Amid "Vote Chori" Allegations

K. C. Venugopal, General Secretary, AICC (Organisation), in a statement, said that so far over 5 crore signatures have been collected nationwide — a powerful testimony to the anger, apprehension, and deep concern among citizens about the “naked murder of democracy through manipulative practices such as duplicate voting, fake voter entries, and fraudulent addresses in the electoral rolls.”

Highlighting the party’s “Vote Chor Gaddi Chod” campaign, Venugopal said through the signature campaign the public has made five clear and democratic demands from the Election Commission of India: prosecute officials and agents involved in systematic voter suppression; publish a machine-readable voter list with photographs for public scrutiny; release all deletion and addition lists with photographs before every election; establish a grievance redressal mechanism for wrongful deletions; and announce a clear cut-off date for voter list changes, avoiding last-minute manipulations.

The Congress General Secretary said the party has been consistently raising concerns about electoral roll manipulation and large-scale electoral fraud undermining the sanctity of the democratic process.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly exposed the dangerous “vote chori” orchestrated by the BJP in collusion with the Election Commission of India, a direct assault on the people’s mandate, he said.

As part of the Congress party’s nationwide movement to defend democracy, the party launched the “Vote Chor Gaddi Chod” Signature Campaign, a mass public outreach and door-to-door initiative to mobilise citizens against electoral fraud, he said.

Beginning on September 15, 2025, following the successful culmination of the “Vote Chor Gaddi Chod” state-level rallies (August 22 – September 7), the campaign has seen participation from lakhs of citizens across districts, blocks, and mandals, said Venugopal.

Party functionaries, community leaders, professionals, and a large number of the public have joined hands to register their protest against the ongoing subversion of democratic norms, he said.

In the meeting of General Secretaries, In-Charges, and PCC Presidents held on Wednesday, it was unanimously decided that the first phase of the campaign will culminate with flag-off events at all State Headquarters on November 8, he said.

These programmes will be attended by senior leaders and party functionaries, symbolising the collective unity and determination of the Congress Party in this national struggle to safeguard democracy, said the Congress General Secretary.

After the culmination of events, all collected signatures will be dispatched to the AICC Headquarters, and in the next phase, the Congress Party will continue gathering more signatures from citizens across India, he said.

“Ultimately, these signatures — representing millions of voices — will be submitted to the President of India, demanding urgent corrective action,” he said.

Venugopal said that the “Vote Chor Gaddi Chod” campaign is not just a political movement – it is a citizens’ movement demanding accountability, transparency, and restoration of faith in the electoral process.

“The Congress Party stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of India in this collective call to protect the soul of our democracy,” he said.

- IANS