Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday said the Election Commission’s credibility could be restored only if doubts over the fairness of elections were removed, as INDIA bloc leaders staged a protest march to the poll body’s office against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged voter fraud.
“As long as there are doubts in the minds of people about the fairness of the elections, it harms the credibility of the Election Commission. Removing these doubts is in the Commission’s own interest,” Tharoor told ANI while participating in the march.
Led by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the protest began from the Makar Dwar of Parliament, with MPs chanting “vote chor” slogans as they attempted to reach Nirvachan Sadan. Delhi Police, however, stopped the march, stating that no permission had been sought for the rally.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav alleged that democracy was under threat, claiming booth capturing and vote theft during recent by-elections in Uttar Pradesh. “Why didn’t the Election Commission act against officers working under the state government’s orders?” she asked.
RJD MP Manoj Jha termed the SIR process a “fraud” and accused the EC of withholding classified data despite Supreme Court directives. “If you can’t even meet MPs citing lack of space, that itself says a lot about your functioning,” he remarked.
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi accused the government of directing police to block Opposition protests, asserting that the march would continue despite attempts to stop them.
Earlier, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari likened Rahul Gandhi’s march to Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March, calling it a movement to “save democracy” in the country.
