New Delhi: Congress will today hold district-level night marches across the country under the banner ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ (Vote thief, give up the seat), stepping up its campaign against alleged electoral malpractice by the ruling party.
District-level night marches kick off today
The protests, scheduled for 8 pm, mark the first phase of a wider agitation announced by Congress MP and general secretary KC Venugopal. “On August 14, we will do a night march all over India, a district-level night march. ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ rally at 8 pm in all districts. Then from August 21 to September 7, we will do state-level ‘Vote chor, gaddi chhodd’ rallies… From September 15 to October 15, a massive signature campaign will take place with the same slogan. We will submit 5 crore signatures to the EC,” he said, according to an ANI report.
The move follows the party’s objections to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and allegations of voter roll manipulation. Venugopal accused the poll body of failing to address “vote theft” and “totally siding with the government”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who chaired a strategy meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, urged citizens to raise their voice. “The theft of your vote is theft of your rights, theft of your identity,” he said.
Kharge, Rahul, Priyanka to lead rallies
Party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are expected to lead rallies. Priyanka Gandhi posted a video on X highlighting the party’s claims, reinforcing the message that “vote theft” strikes at the core of democracy.
आपके वोट की चोरी आपके अधिकार की चोरी है, आपके पहचान की चोरी है।
अपने वोट का अधिकार बचाइए,
वोट चोरी के खिलाफ आवाज उठाइए। #VoteChori pic.twitter.com/7hoftcjMYl— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 13, 2025
Venugopal further said the campaign will take the issue to the grassroots level. “We will take it to the bottom level of the people of India. Now it is very clear that the Election Commission is totally siding with the government for vote theft,” he said, adding that the protests are a fight for electoral integrity and public trust.
(With inputs from agencies)
