Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, November 8
Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh has questioned the silence of the Election Commission of India over allegations of electoral malpractice raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying transparency and credibility of the system demand a formal response. Speaking at the culmination of the Congress’s “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod” campaign in Shimla on Saturday, Singh said Gandhi had presented “facts and figures” to substantiate his claims that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was manipulating election results in several states.
“Rahul Gandhi is not only a Congress leader but the leader of the Opposition. When he places evidence before the nation, the Election Commission cannot remain a silent spectator,” he said. “For democracy to survive, institutions must act — not hide,” he added.
The campaign, organised under Gandhi’s nationwide initiative, saw the Himachal Pradesh Congress gather over 1.43 lakh signatures — surpassing its original target of one lakh. The signed petitions were dispatched from the Shimla Congress headquarters to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in New Delhi, from where they will be forwarded to the President of India.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and State Congress President Pratibha Singh flagged off the vehicle carrying the documents. Sukhu accused the BJP of “stealing votes” in states including Haryana, Maharashtra and Bihar, adding that the Election Commission had “refused to act or even comment” on repeated complaints.
“Rahul Gandhi has time and again laid out facts, but the Election Commission seems unwilling to even acknowledge them,” Sukhu said. “The BJP is destroying the democratic fabric of this country.”
Pratibha Singh said the overwhelming response to the campaign showed people’s anger at what she described as “the systematic subversion of democracy”.
“Himachal Pradesh alone contributed 1.43 lakh signatures, which will be placed before the President to show how the BJP is undermining elections,” she said, adding that she expected the Mahagathbandhan alliance to form the next government in Bihar.
The Himachal campaign forms part of a wider Congress movement aimed at pressing electoral reforms and mobilising public opinion against what it calls the BJP’s “capture of democratic institutions”.
