Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], September 29 (ANI): Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday alleged that "vote theft" was taking place in the country and said a nationwide peaceful agitation would be launched against the issue.
Addressing a press conference after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Baghel alleged that votes were being "stolen" through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"The proposal was about the vote theft happening in the country and how, through Gyanesh Kumar, Modi and Shah are getting votes stolen. The mandate of the people is being stolen," Baghel said.
He alleged that the ruling party had maintained a high "strike rate" in several elections and claimed that this was due to electoral manipulation.
"Whether it was the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan elections before that, or elections after that, it can be called an open robbery because their strike rate has not gone below 90 per cent anywhere," he said.
Baghel alleged that names of around 13 crore people were removed from electoral rolls through SIR and claimed that the exercise was affecting Dalits, tribals, women and minorities.
"The country's population is continuously increasing, but the number of voters is decreasing. Through SIR, the names of 13 crore people were removed. Now, 88 crore voters remain," he said.
He further alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had been raising the issue and claimed that the matter came into focus after reports were published.
"Rahul Gandhi has continuously held press conferences with evidence, and after it was published in The Indian Express, everything was exposed," Baghel said.
On the Election Commission's response, Baghel alleged, "The press release issued by the three commissioners themselves has accepted all the points that were raised as allegations."
He said that "stealing votes in a democratic country is an attack on democracy" and announced that the INDIA bloc would decide the future course of action in its meeting.
"An aggressive but peaceful movement will now take place across the country. Tomorrow, there is an INDIA bloc meeting, where the roadmap of the agitation will be decided," he said.
Responding to BJP's allegations regarding duplicate names and deceased persons in electoral rolls, Baghel questioned the purpose of the SIR exercise.
"You said SIR was started to identify foreign citizens and remove them. Elections have taken place in Bihar, Bengal and Assam. How many Bangladeshis, Rohingyas or Pakistanis were caught?" he asked.
He also compared SIR with demonetisation, saying, "This is similar to how they said during demonetisation that black money would return. Now they are doing 'vote-bandi'."
Baghel claimed that deletion of names from voter lists could create difficulties for citizens in accessing government schemes and documents.
On Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai's visit to flood-affected areas of Bastar, Baghel said the relief amount of Rs 10,000 was insufficient for rebuilding damaged houses and replacing household items.
He also questioned the outcome of foreign visits by state leaders for investment promotion, asking, "Several countries have been visited, including Japan. How much investment has come here? How many people have got employment?" (ANI)
"Mandate of people is being stolen": Bhupesh Baghel hits out at Modi-Shah over vote theft allegations
