Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 14: Escalating its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities, the Congress on Sunday staged a high-voltage protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan under the banner “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod,” bringing together its entire top leadership in a show of strength.
The rally, projected as a mass movement against what the party terms “vote chori,” was addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K.C. Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Sachin Pilot and other senior leaders. Former party chief Sonia Gandhi was also present at the event.
Leading the charge, Rahul Gandhi launched a direct attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of siding with the BJP and enabling manipulation of electoral processes. Naming Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, Gandhi alleged that the poll body was acting in favour of the ruling party.
“We stand with truth. They have power, and they misuse it through vote theft. By standing firmly with truth, we will remove the Narendra Modi–RSS government from power,” Gandhi said, drawing enthusiastic applause from supporters.
He further claimed that the BJP openly distributed cash during elections without facing action from the ECI. Calling the contest a battle between truth and falsehood, Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission had abandoned neutrality.
Referring to remarks by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Gandhi accused the RSS of prioritising power over truth. “Our ideology — the ideology of India and of all religions — places truth above everything. I assure you, by standing with truth, we will defeat the RSS-led government,” he said.
Sunday’s rally marked the Congress’s largest mobilisation in the national capital as part of its ongoing “vote chori” narrative, which gained momentum after Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar earlier this year. Despite the party’s disappointing performance in the Bihar Assembly elections, where it won just six of 61 seats contested, the leadership has doubled down on the slogan, aiming to turn it into a broader democratic movement.
Since announcing the rally last month, the Congress activated its organisational machinery nationwide, coordinating participation from several states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Punjab through a central control room in Delhi.
Party leaders say Gandhi considers the issue fundamental to the survival of democracy and plans to sustain pressure on both the BJP and the Election Commission. He has earlier held multiple press conferences presenting what he described as evidence of electoral manipulation in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana — allegations the ECI has rejected as baseless.
This time, the Congress chose to hold the rally without its INDIA bloc allies, citing internal reassessment following the Bihar results. Senior leaders, however, insist the campaign will continue, especially with crucial Assembly elections approaching in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Whether the “Vote Chor” campaign can resonate beyond Congress’s core supporters remains uncertain, but Sunday’s rally signalled Rahul Gandhi’s intent to keep alleged electoral integrity issues at the centre of the political debate as the party looks ahead to 2026.