Congress to Hold Campaign Against ‘Rigged’ Maharashtra Polls
Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal will participate in the protest march at Gadchiroli, whereas other party leaders will participate in the protests in various parts of the state.
Mumbai: Following party leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of ‘rigging’ in 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections, the Maharashtra Congress has taken an aggressive stand on the issue. The party has decided to hold torch marches across the state on June 12 to create awareness and demand investigation into the alleged vote scam during the polls.
Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal will participate in the protest march at Gadchiroli, whereas other party leaders will participate in the protests in various parts of the state.
The purpose behind holding protests is to expose the large-scale malpractices held during the Vidhan Sabha elections, said a senior party leader.
“The BJP-led Mahayuti government has come to power in the state by stealing votes in the Vidhan Sabha elections. Votes have been stolen with the help of the Election Commission and this vote theft is not being investigated. The credibility of the Election Commission is at stake and the democratic system is being attacked,” he said.
In his recent newspaper article, Gandhi had described the 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections as a ‘blueprint for rigging democracy,’ alleging a pattern of electoral ‘match-fixing’ that could soon be replicated in Bihar. The Election Commission dismissed the claims as ‘absolutely absurd’ and accused Gandhi of defaming the institution after an unfavourable result.
The party leader said, “The (opposition) Maha Vikas Aghadi had achieved a huge success in the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP alliance was defeated emphatically. Despite the signs that the BJP alliance could not win even 100 seats in the Vidhan Sabha elections, they got a huge majority, which was incomprehensible and unbelievable.”
“There were also doubts about the voting percentage announced by the Election Commission. The voting percentage, which was declared 58 percent after the voting ended, showed 66.5 percent the next day, an increase of 7.83 percent. This is a big scam and needs to be investigated,” he said.
It is the duty of the Election Commission to conduct fair and transparent elections, but if there are clouds of suspicion on them, it is dangerous for democracy. The Congress party has demanded that an inquiry should be conducted into match-fixing in the Vidhan Sabha elections, the leader added.
