Congress to Hold Rally Against ECI on December 14, INDIA Bloc Excluded from Protest

New Delhi: The Congress party has announced plans to organize a rally on December 14 in protest against what it claims is “vote theft” by the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, in a significant development, the rally will be an exclusive Congress event, with the INDIA alliance bloc deciding not to participate.

This decision was confirmed during a meeting of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership earlier this week. A senior Congress leader revealed that the rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi will be fully organized by the Congress party, with no involvement from other opposition parties under the INDIA bloc.

The rally aims to expose alleged irregularities in the electoral process and bring to light the party’s ongoing efforts to challenge what it views as corrupt practices by the Election Commission.

Rahul Gandhi, former Congress president, has been vocal in his criticism of the Election Commission, accusing it of being biased in its handling of the electoral process. “We have been campaigning on this issue for months. We have gathered five million signatures across the country against ‘vote theft’.

Our party has invested its institutional strength into this cause,” Gandhi said, stressing that the December 14 rally is part of the Congress’s commitment to uncovering electoral malpractices.

The rally comes after the completion of the second phase of Special Intense Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, a process that Congress claims has been mishandled by the ECI. The party has alleged that the Election Commission’s approach to voter list revision is not only flawed but also systematically designed to favor certain political groups, undermining fair elections.

The Congress leadership has been actively mobilizing its grassroots workers, with large participation expected from state units across the country. According to sources, key states like Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep, which are crucial in the electoral context, will see significant participation in the rally. T

amil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal are also preparing for elections in 2026, and Congress aims to take this protest as an opportunity to push for reforms.

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, along with senior party leaders, reportedly finalized the rally plans in a meeting with top party officials from 12 states and union territories. These states are also part of the ongoing SIR exercise, which Congress claims is being conducted with significant errors that disadvantage voters in opposition-ruled states.

While the Congress has made it clear that the rally will be a party-led initiative, other opposition parties, including some from the INDIA bloc, have refrained from participating, stating that it remains an internal Congress matter. The absence of INDIA bloc participation is notable, as it marks a divergence in the approach of opposition parties toward addressing electoral concerns.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi intensified his criticism of the ECI during a recent statement, blaming the commission’s rush to implement SIR for the deaths of 16 booth-level officers (BLOs). Gandhi accused the ECI of engaging in a “deliberate strategy” to harass citizens and enable voter fraud. “This cumbersome process is designed to cause inconvenience to citizens, leading to voter disenfranchisement,” Gandhi added.

Congress’s allegations of partisanship against the Election Commission have sparked discussions within political circles, with many questioning the transparency and fairness of the electoral system. As December 14 approaches, the Congress party’s push for electoral reforms will likely escalate tensions between the ruling BJP and opposition parties, particularly as the debate over electoral fairness continues to dominate political discourse in India.

Also Read: Lokayukta launches simultaneous raids across Karnataka; suspicious assets under scanner