“The Modi government has systematically and conspiratorially hollowed out the strong democratic foundation that our forefathers built through their sacrifices and dedication over the last 12 years,” Kharge said.

“Names are being removed from voter lists through calculated conspiracies, and the Chief Election Commissioner has become a puppet of the Modi government. This runs counter to the ethos and spirit of Indian democracy, which mandates that every eligible citizen’s vote be secure and every vote be counted impartially,” he added.

Cites Ambedkar on right to vote

Citing Babasaheb Ambedkar, Kharge said universal franchise is one of the most fundamental elements of democracy and that no eligible voter should be excluded from the electoral roll because of the prejudice of an official.

“On June 15, 1949, in the Constituent Assembly, Babasaheb Ambedkar stated, ‘Franchise is a most fundamental thing in a democracy. No person who ought to be included in the voter list under our Constitution should be excluded due to the prejudice of a local government or the whim of an officer’,” he said.

Kharge said Ambedkar had made it clear that names should not be deleted from voter lists at the discretion of an officer.

He alleged that, contrary to this principle, officials were today arbitrarily deleting names at the behest of the BJP and the Modi government.

He said Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambedkar understood that without democratic participation, the voices of the poor and marginalised would go unheard. This, he said, was why they strongly advocated giving every adult citizen of India the right to vote.

“During the debates in the Constituent Assembly, Babasaheb Ambedkar described the right to vote as the most fundamental element of democracy. But today, the opposite is happening. The protector has turned into the predator. The very person whom the Constitution empowered and entrusted as the guardian of the people’s vote has become a plunderer of those votes. How can the nation place its trust in a Chief Election Commissioner whom even his own colleagues do not trust?” he questioned.

Kharge questions SIR decision, internal portal access

Kharge said the Congress was not seeking to weaken electoral institutions but wanted the Election Commission to be strong and credible enough for both the ruling party and the Opposition to have equal confidence in its decisions.

“Our questions are not intended to weaken these institutions; we want the Election Commission to be so strong and credible that both the ruling party and the opposition have equal trust in its decisions.

The independence of the Election Commission is one of the first conditions for the security of democracy. But is it wrong to ask who took the decision of SIR? Is it wrong to ask why two Election Commissioners were kept out of the Internal Portal? Was something secretive going on,” Kharge said.

Congress lists five demands on electoral rolls and poll process

At the CWC meeting, Kharge underlined five demands raised by the Congress:

• Full disclosure of voter-list changes: Complete data on every major change in the voter list should be made public.
• Information and appeal for deleted voters: Voters whose names have been removed should be given complete information and an opportunity to appeal.
• Timely data for political parties: Political parties should be provided voter lists and all other essential related data in a simple format and within a reasonable timeframe.
• Independent probe into serious discrepancies: Wherever evidence of serious discrepancies emerges, there should be an independent and time-bound investigation.
• Transparency in election-related data and decisions: Crucial data and decisions linked to the election process should be transparent so that no party gets an opportunity to claim that information is being hidden.

Kharge said that with elections due in five states in 2027, it was essential to ensure that no voter’s rights were violated.

The Congress president said the party would work to ensure that every person’s vote remained secure and elections were fair, so that public trust in India’s electoral process remained intact.

The Congress has been vocal in its criticism of the Chief Election Commissioner, particularly following a report that cited differences within the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

On Wednesday, the Congress and other Opposition parties are scheduled to meet to discuss and decide a joint strategy to take the protest forward.

(with ANI inputs)