JAMMU, OCT 25: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has announced that around 5,000 party leaders and workers from all districts of Jammu and Kashmir will participate in a mega national rally at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi, on November 1 under the party’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ campaign against alleged electoral irregularities. The rally, being organised by the Congress and the INDIA bloc, is aimed at raising concerns over what the party calls “Vote Chori” and demanding accountability in the electoral process.
The announcement was made at a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, the JKPCC headquarters at Shaheedi Chowk, Jammu, attended by Working President Raman Bhalla, former minister Mula Ram, Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Jammu Urban District Congress Committee President Yogesh Sawhney, Jammu Rural DCC President Neeraj Kundan and headquarters in-charge Ved Mahajan, former MLC.
Raman Bhalla said thousands of Congress workers from across the Union Territory would join the rally in response to the party’s call against alleged electoral manipulation. He accused the BJP of undermining the credibility of the electoral system and said the Congress would continue raising concerns over the conduct of elections and the protection of voting rights.
Ravinder Sharma alleged that the campaign led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had brought several questions concerning electoral transparency into public debate. He accused the BJP of attempting to counter the Congress campaign and referred to alleged attempts to target the party headquarters in Jammu on more than two occasions in recent months. Sharma asserted that the party would intensify its ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ campaign ahead of the national rally.
Jammu Rural DCC President Neeraj Kundan alleged that changes to the appointment mechanism for the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners had weakened institutional safeguards. He also raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that genuine voters’ names had been deleted in large numbers. These allegations were presented by the Congress leaders as part of their broader demand for transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
Former minister Yogesh Sawhney said the Congress campaign sought to make people aware of alleged electoral irregularities. He also criticised BJP legislators in Jammu over what he described as inadequate utilisation of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) for public welfare and local development.
Former minister Mula Ram accused the BJP-led government of compromising citizens’ voting rights and called for stronger protection of democratic principles. He also highlighted the damage caused to paddy crops by recent rainfall and demanded adequate compensation for affected farmers.
The Congress leadership said the participation of around 5,000 workers from Jammu and Kashmir would strengthen the party’s presence at the national rally and reinforce its campaign on electoral transparency. The allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission reflect the Congress’s political position; the claims were not independently verified in the press release.
