Srinagar: The J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has announced the launch of a mass signature campaign across J&K against what it termed the “vote theft” by ECI–BJP collusion.
The campaign will be held in all districts to awaken people against what the party calls the BJP’s undemocratic and immoral measures aimed at manipulating elections to remain in power and suppress opponents while hiding its failures on all fronts.
According to the JKPCC, vote theft poses a grave challenge to India’s democratic setup. The Congress party has vowed to defeat these attempts to safeguard democracy and democratic institutions. “Democracy has been under assault since the BJP assumed power at the Centre. The systematic erosion of institutions by the ruling dispensation is fraught with serious consequences, which will neither be accepted nor tolerated,” the party said.
JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra made these remarks while chairing a meeting of Coordinators and District Presidents of Kashmir province at the Srinagar Party office today.
Speaking on the occasion, Karra said the ECI–BJP collusion had been exposed by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who presented facts about vote manipulation. “Rather than taking corrective measures to check the vote theft, the ECI demanded an affidavit from the LOP, aiming to cover up electoral fraud,” Karra said. He added that the Election Commission, as an autonomous body, is responsible for ensuring free and fair elections and maintaining transparency, but “the irony is that it is itself shielding and encouraging vote theft to benefit the ruling dispensation, which is fraught with serious consequences for Indian democracy.”
“We are launching a signature campaign across J&K to seek public support for Rahul Gandhi’s uncompromising fight against election manipulation, and we won’t rest until the responsibility is fixed and vote chori is stopped,” the JKPCC President said.
Karra further asserted that the vigorous fight for Statehood would continue and urged party leaders to intensify public outreach programmes in their respective districts.
Those who were present and spoke on the occasion included MLA Nizam Ud Din Bhat, MLA Irfan Hafeez Lone, Ex-MLA Bashir Ahmad Magray, Ex-MLA Abdul Rahim Rather, Abdul Gani Khan, Nissar Ahmad Mundo, GSO Abid Ahmad Bhat (Kashmiri), Media Coordinator Adil Farooq Mir (Lasjan), Suhail Bukhari, DCC Presidents Irfan Naqib, Zaffar Farooq Salati, Abdul Rashid Lone, Mir Iqbal, Umer Jaan, Sheikh Aijaz, Er. Muzaffar Dar, Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray, Reyaz Manhas, and others.
