Opposition parties surrounded the Election Commission over allegations of vote theft and voter list controversy. Several leaders were detained by the Delhi Police during the march led by Rahul Gandhi.
SIR: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Monday that the credibility of the Election Commission can only be restored when all doubts about the fairness of elections are removed from the minds of the people of the country. Tharoor's statement comes at a time when the INDIA alliance of opposition parties is marching towards the Election Commission Headquarters over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists and allegations of vote theft.
Opposition Protest Led by Rahul Gandhi
The march included Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD, and other opposition parties. The opposition alleges that votes are being stolen by manipulating voter lists and the Election Commission is not taking serious action on this. Opposition leaders, led by Rahul Gandhi, wanted to start the march from the Makar Dwar of Parliament and reach the Election Commission, but the Delhi Police stopped them on the way.
Strong Statement by Shashi Tharoor
Talking to ANI, Shashi Tharoor said, "As long as there are questions in people's minds about the integrity of elections, the credibility of the Election Commission will be tainted. It is in the interest of the Commission to remove these doubts." Tharoor believes that the Commission needs to take transparent steps to restore the confidence of both the opposition and the public.
Attack by Samajwadi Party and RJD
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, citing the recent by-election in Uttar Pradesh, alleged that "not only was there vote theft in the by-elections for 10 assembly seats, but booth capturing also took place." She questioned why "the Commission did not take any action against the officers working at the behest of the state government."
RJD MP Manoj Jha termed the SIR process a "fraud." He alleged that the Commission is not sharing confidential data despite the Supreme Court's instructions. Jha said, "If you are making excuses about the lack of space to meet the MPs, then this is a direct comment on your functioning."
Delhi Police Statement and Opposition's Reaction
The Delhi Police said that the opposition parties had not taken any permission for this march. On this, Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said, "They never give permission. They are speaking political language at the behest of the government. We are marching to protect democracy and will try our best to reach the Commission."
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said, "Rahul Gandhi is walking on the path of Gandhiji. Just as the Dandi March was for freedom, this march is to save democracy." He alleged that the Election Commission is not taking the opposition's কথা (words) seriously and is asking for unnecessary documents.
Controversy over SIR Process
Several parties have accused the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of lacking transparency. The opposition says that fairness is not being maintained in the matter of deleting and adding names to the voter lists in this process. The opposition parties want the Election Commission to openly clarify this and restore public confidence.
