Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 21 (ANI): Congress' Uttar Pradesh In-Charge Rajendra Pal Gautam on Wednesday said that seat-sharing negotiations within the INDIA alliance for the 2027 state assembly elections have officially begun, maintaining that the Congress has staked a claim to specific constituencies based on public trust and organisational growth.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow here, Gautam pointed out that the alliance's performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the INDIA bloc clinched 43 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh, was a testament to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's influence and the party's revitalised organisational network.
"The Congress party is actively building its organisation on the ground, and it is growing significantly stronger. The results in the recent Lok Sabha election, where the INDIA bloc won 43 seats in UP, reflect the impact of Rahul Gandhi’s influence. Based on this, and on the strength of our organisation and the trust placed in our party, we have requested certain seats," Gautam told reporters.
Emphasising that discussions among alliance leadership are underway, he said, "Discussions have now begun, and as we stated earlier, the agreement will be honourable. We will present the details of that agreement once it is finalised. Certain matters are currently being discussed by the party leadership, and the outcome will be communicated in due time."
Gautam also launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the poll body is working to weaken democratic processes by arbitrarily tampering with voter lists.
"Our primary focus today is on how the Election Commission is undermining our democracy and the Constitution by deleting the legitimate votes of citizens or altering their details," Gautam alleged.
Highlighting specific discrepancies, the Congress leader claimed that targeted changes are being made to tilt election results in favour of the ruling dispensation.
"If the names of 13,150 individuals in a single constituency are altered, the election effectively becomes one-sided. We will not let this go unchallenged. All these facts and evidence will be submitted as part of the petition filed by the INDIA bloc in the Supreme Court," he added.
UP Congress President Aradhana 'Mona' Mishra said that the Congress would continue to push for the rights of voters.
"We have presented evidence. In the list released by the Election Commission on April 2nd, following the summary revision, the EPIC (voter ID) numbers and the names of the individuals were recorded. Now, on their website, while the EPIC numbers remain the same, the names and fathers' names have been altered. This is a serious matter. If we cannot safeguard the voting rights of our constituents, then when the final electoral roll is published and a voter goes to cast their ballot, they will find that their vote is effectively gone. Given this conspiracy, involving over 13,000 such suspicious alterations, we will seek legal counsel. We are prepared to take whatever legal action is necessary; it is our duty to protect the votes of the people of our state," she said.
Congress MP Imran Masood said, "The Congress has raised a major and serious issue today. We haven’t just made allegations, but we have presented facts. The EPIC (voter ID) number remains the same, yet the name and the father’s name have been altered. This is a grave matter: more than 13,000 votes have been manipulated in this manner within a single assembly constituency. Every individual must take it upon themselves to safeguard their own vote. If things are allowed to continue this way in our country, then democratic elections will lose all meaning. This is now a battle to save the nation, a fight that every single person must join. Everyone must protect their own vote; otherwise, these plunderers are waiting to loot. By carrying out such theft, they undermine democracy and form the government... We will fight this battle on the streets, in Parliament, and in the courts as well." (ANI)
INDIA bloc begins alliance talks for 2027 UP assembly polls, Congress' Rajendra Gautam says "pact will be honourable"
