New Delhi, Nov 6: The Congress on Thursday reiterated its allegations of large-scale electoral manipulation and “Vote Chori”, announcing that it will submit a memorandum with over five crore signatures to President Droupadi Murmu on November 8, demanding urgent corrective measures.
In a statement, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal said the signatures, collected nationwide, reflect the growing anger and concern among citizens over the “naked murder of democracy” through practices like duplicate voting, fake voter entries, and fraudulent addresses in electoral rolls.
As part of its “Vote Chor Gaddi Chod” campaign, Venugopal said citizens have made five key demands from the Election Commission of India: prosecution of officials involved in voter suppression, publication of a machine-readable voter list with photographs, release of all addition and deletion lists with photos before elections, creation of a grievance redressal system for wrongful deletions, and a fixed cut-off date to prevent last-minute roll changes.
He accused the BJP and the Election Commission of colluding in a “dangerous vote chori” that undermines the sanctity of the people’s mandate — a charge repeatedly raised by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Launched on September 15, following state-level rallies held from August 22 to September 7, the nationwide campaign has mobilised lakhs of citizens through door-to-door outreach across districts, blocks, and mandals.
Venugopal said that the first phase will culminate on November 8 with flag-off events at all state headquarters, attended by senior leaders and party functionaries. The collected signatures will then be sent to AICC headquarters before submission to the President.
“The ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chod’ campaign is not just political—it is a citizens’ movement demanding transparency, accountability, and the protection of India’s democratic soul,” Venugopal affirmed.
