Kishtwar, October 7: The INDIA Bloc on Wednesday held a strong protest rally in Kishtwar against what its leaders described as serious concerns regarding the functioning of the Election Commission of India and alleged irregularities in the electoral process. The protest witnessed the participation of senior leaders and a large number of workers and supporters from the Congress, National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party.
The protest rally began from the Congress Office in Kishtwar and proceeded towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office under the leadership of former Minister and senior Congress leader G. M. Saroori, District Congress Committee President P. L. Shan, District National Conference President Tanveer Ahmed Kichloo, and District PDP President Ishtiaq Ahmed Waza.
A large number of INDIA Bloc workers and supporters joined the rally, raising slogans in support of electoral transparency, democratic values and constitutional principles. The protesters accused the Election Commission of failing to adequately address concerns being raised over the electoral process and demanded measures to safeguard the sanctity of the vote.
When the protesters proceeded towards the DC Office, police stopped the rally near the Police Station and prevented the participants from moving further. Despite being stopped, the protesters continued raising slogans and expressing their concerns over what they termed threats to electoral integrity and democratic institutions.
During the protest, effigies representing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were also burnt by the protesters.
Addressing the gathering, former Minister and senior Congress leader G. M. Saroori said that the protest was not confined to Kishtwar or Jammu and Kashmir but was being held across the country. “In the whole of India, not only in Kishtwar, not only in Jammu and Kashmir, but from Kishtwar to Kashmir to Kanyakumari, this protest is going on. This protest is about the theft of votes,” Saroori said.
Targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Saroori alleged that the electoral process had been compromised and demanded accountability. He said that the central issue before the opposition parties was to protect the people's right to vote and prevent what he described as the “theft of votes.”
Saroori highlighted the participation of different INDIA Bloc constituents in the Kishtwar protest and said that leaders and workers of the National Conference, Congress and PDP had come together on a common platform. “Today, in Kishtwar, on behalf of the INDIA Alliance, on behalf of the National Conference, Mr. Tanveer Kichloo, Mr. Ishtiaq Waza, Mr. Mahinder Parihar, Mr. Ishtiaq Malik and all his colleagues are here,” he said, while acknowledging the presence and participation of leaders from the alliance partners.
He also appreciated the efforts of District Congress Committee President P. L. Shan, Irshad Ahmed Sheikh and other local leaders for bringing different political parties together for the protest.
“All the parties participated. I would like to congratulate all. All of them decided that this protest is going on in the whole of Jammu and Kashmir. Our aim is to prevent the theft of votes,” Saroori said.
During his address, Saroori also levelled allegations regarding voter deletions and electoral irregularities in different states, referring particularly to Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. He alleged that large numbers of names had been removed from electoral rolls and questioned whether such actions could affect the outcome of elections.
He claimed that millions of votes had been affected and alleged that voter deletions had taken place on a large scale. Saroori said that such allegations needed to be addressed transparently and that the Election Commission must ensure that every eligible citizen's right to vote is protected.
Referring to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Saroori further alleged that the present government would not have been formed had there not been what he described as “vote theft.” “If this would not have happened in 2024, the government of Modi, the government of BJP would not have existed,” he said.
Saroori further said that the opposition parties, including the Congress, National Conference and PDP, along with people across the country, were united in demanding greater transparency in the electoral process.
“Today, all the youth of India, the sisters of this country, the elders of this country, the youth of this country, the National Conference of Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress, the PDP, all of them together are calling for the theft of votes to be stopped,” Saroori said. He also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, stating that the credibility of democratic institutions depends upon public confidence in their impartiality.
The INDIA Bloc leaders stressed that elections must be conducted in a free, fair, transparent and impartial manner, and that all constitutional institutions must function independently and in accordance with the Constitution. They said that questions relating to electoral rolls, deletion of voters' names, voting procedures and the overall functioning of the electoral machinery could not simply be ignored and called for transparent examination of all concerns raised by political parties and citizens.
The leaders maintained that the vote of every eligible citizen must be protected and that people must have complete confidence that their vote will be counted fairly and will determine the outcome of elections. The protest also highlighted the growing coordination among the opposition parties in Kishtwar, with Congress, National Conference and PDP leaders sharing the platform and participating jointly in the demonstration.
The protesters reiterated their commitment to protecting democratic values, electoral integrity, constitutional principles and the rights of voters, and said that their campaign against what they described as electoral malpractice would continue. The Kishtwar demonstration concluded with the INDIA Bloc leaders reiterating their demand for greater accountability and transparency in the electoral system and calling upon the Election Commission to address the concerns being raised by political parties and the public.
