Youth Cong takes out rally alleging ‘vote theft’

The Youth Congress held a protest rally against “vote theft” on Thursday. Led by state president Chhatar Singh Thakur and national general secretary Shesh Narayan Ojha, the protesters marched to the Raj Bhavan and submitted a detailed memorandum to the president through the Governor, raising issues such as the deletion of names from voter lists, the addition of fake voter IDs and other alleged electoral irregularities. They also questioned the integrity and impartiality of the Election Commission and sought the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The memorandum further demanded a high-level, impartial investigation into the allegations of vote theft.

Addressing protesters before they proceeded to the Raj Bhavan, state Congress president Pratibha Singh said the rally formed part of a nationwide protest against vote theft. “This fight is not limited to one state or one election. It is a fight to protect the country’s democratic values, the dignity of the Constitution and the right to vote for every citizen,” she said. “At a time when tampering with voter lists, arbitrary deletions, fake voter cards and serious questions about electoral institutions have become rampant, the protest is necessary to safeguard democracy.”

Thakur said the democracy was at a critical juncture. “Himachal’s youth have taken to the streets to protest this injustice and we demand a high-level investigation be immediately ordered into these incidents and the Election Commissioner be immediately suspended,” he said. Ojha added that the protest was not directed at any individual, but at the system that had attempted to tarnish the sacred process of elections.