Rahul thanks BJP for promoting Vote Chori rally

New Delhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday sarcastically thanked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies for publicising the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally against alleged electoral irregularities, saying their efforts were helping the opposition reach a wider audience. In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi urged the ruling party to maintain the same enthusiasm over the next seven days. Gandhi alleged that voters’ names had been removed from electoral rolls and rules and laws had been violated. He said the opposition would not remain silent over what it describes as “vote chori”, or theft of votes. He appealed to students, farmers, labourers, women, young people and traders, as well as others concerned about democracy, to join the protest. The BJP had criticised the Congress for scheduling the rally on November 1, which marks the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Gandhi of disregarding the sentiments of the Sikh community and said the date was inappropriate given the historical significance. The BJP also raised concerns about the rally taking place during the festive season, with Diwali approaching on November 8. A traders’ organisation had reportedly urged Gandhi to postpone the event, citing possible disruption to business in markets around Ramlila Maidan. The INDIA bloc’s planned rally is part of its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition leaders are also scheduled to hold a symbolic “public impeachment” proceeding against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 30. The November 1 gathering is expected to bring opposition leaders and supporters together to raise concerns about voter-list changes and demand accountability from election authorities.