Karnataka Congress MLAs, workers to join ‘vote chori’ protest in Delhi today
DK Shivakumar, CM Siddaramaiah to participate in Ramlila Maidan agitation backing Rahul Gandhi’s campaign on alleged electoral irregularities.
Karnataka, Dec 14 : All legislators and more than 1,000 Congress party workers from Karnataka are participating in the ‘Vote Chori’ protest at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday to support Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar said on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the campaign was launched in Karnataka with a massive convention at Freedom Park and is now being taken to the national capital. “Another major programme will be held at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. More than 1,000 party workers from Karnataka have already reached Delhi,” he said.
He said Congress leaders from across the state had travelled to Delhi by train and flight, adding that over 100 MLAs and MLCs would attend the protest. “I will also be joining the programme,” Shivakumar said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the campaign aims to create public awareness on alleged electoral irregularities. He added that AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is leading the agitation and that party leaders are uniting to strengthen the movement spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi.
Asked about his schedule in Delhi, Shivakumar said he may respond to a notice issued by the Delhi Police in connection with the National Herald case, subject to time constraints.
Earlier in the day, Shivakumar reached Delhi to participate in the protest. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is also scheduled to arrive in the national capital on Sunday to join the agitation.
Elaborating on the party’s allegations, Shivakumar claimed that minority voters’ names were removed from electoral rolls in several parts of the country. He said Rahul Gandhi had raised the issue repeatedly, but the authorities had failed to provide satisfactory answers. “Information is not being furnished even under the Right to Information Act,” he alleged.
The Congress party said the protest is aimed at drawing national attention to alleged irregularities in the electoral process and seeking accountability over the deletion of voters’ names. The agitation, party leaders said, is part of a broader campaign to safeguard democracy and ensure free and fair elections across the country.
