MUMBAI — As more than 300 Members of Parliament from various political parties marched from Parliament to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters to protest against alleged ‘vote theft’ in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra President Abu Azmi on Monday said the scale of the protest demanded immediate action from both the government and the poll panel.
Azmi stressed the seriousness of the issue.
Speaking to IANS, Abu Azmi noted: “When there are more than 300 MPs involved, it means that many among them are also from the ruling side. If such a large group is making this demand, then the government and the ECI should immediately look into it. These MPs should declare right now that until our demands for free and fair elections are met, we will not allow discussions on elections or participate in them.”
Azmi urged citizens to take an active role in safeguarding democracy.
“The common people must come out. Elections should be completely clean. You are not just giving a vote; you are voting for the future of the country. (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi has shown how, in some cases, 80 names are listed in a single room. What more proof do you need? Yes, it’s acceptable to remove the name of someone who has passed away, but under this pretext, names of migrant workers or those not aligned with the ruling power are also being deliberately deleted. This is happening across the country. The entire public should raise their voice,” he added.
The SP leader also reacted to the recent notices issued by the Chief Electoral Officers of Haryana and Karnataka to the Congress leader over his allegations of voter fraud in the 2024 general elections.
“Issuing notices like this is not the same as addressing the problem. Do these 300 MPs not know what is happening? What is the point of trying to intimidate people with such notices?” Azmi added.
Azmi further said that democracy’s credibility hinges on transparent elections.
“The people’s trust is the foundation of governance. If that is shaken, the entire system collapses,” he added.
The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s notice to Gandhi seeks documents to substantiate his claims of vote theft in Mahadevapura, part of the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency. The notice followed Gandhi’s August 7 press conference in New Delhi. The ECI stated that the requested evidence would enable a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Similarly, the Haryana CEO has asked Gandhi to submit, within 10 days, documents detailing the alleged anomalies in electoral rolls in the state, along with a signed declaration affirming their accuracy. The Election Commission had earlier asked Gandhi to either file the declaration as per the rules or apologise to the nation for making what it termed “false allegations”. — IANS
