J&K Cong flags off ‘vote chori’ signature campaign vehicle

As part of the Congress party’s nationwide campaign against “vote chori” led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra on Saturday flagged off a vehicle carrying signatures from Jammu and Kashmir to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi.

Flanked by senior party leaders, Karra flagged off the vehicle from the PCC headquarters in Jammu. The vehicle carried signatures collected from all districts of Jammu and Kashmir to be submitted to the AICC, in response to Rahul Gandhi’s call for a nationwide signature campaign against alleged electoral malpractice.

According to a party statement, more than two lakh signatures were collected from Jammu and Kashmir during the campaign, despite adverse weather and flood conditions in the region.

“The campaign was part of the Congress party’s initiative to highlight numerous illegalities and irregularities in voter lists and the conduct of elections, as investigated and exposed by Rahul Gandhi,” the statement read. “The signatures collected during the campaign will be submitted to the President of India by the AICC, urging her to ensure a free, fair and transparent electoral process.”

Addressing party workers at the PCC headquarters, Karra said that Rahul Gandhi had exposed “numerous illegalities and irregularities right from the preparation of voter lists to the conduct of elections.”

“A free, fair, and transparent election process is the backbone of democracy,” Karra said. “The right to vote is the most precious right in a democracy, and without fair elections, democracy cannot survive.”

He cautioned Congress workers against attempts to manipulate voter lists and various stages of the electoral process, terming such actions “dangerous for the nation’s democratic fabric.”

“Every citizen must be alert and aware to safeguard their precious right to vote,” he said, while appreciating the efforts of party cadres who continued the campaign despite difficult flood conditions and collected over two lakh signatures across the Union Territory.

Karra said the Congress party had “struggled and sacrificed” to secure India’s freedom from British rule and establish democracy in the country.

“It is now the duty of the Congress to safeguard and protect democracy from attempts to hijack democratic institutions,” he said. “We commend the bold leadership of Rahul Gandhi, who is waging a relentless fight to preserve India’s democratic values, and we extend full support to this campaign to save democracy.”