The Congress-led INDIA bloc is preparing to intensify its political campaign in Tripura, placing electoral transparency and the protection of voting rights at the centre of its agitation. Under the slogan ‘Save Vote, Save Country’, the opposition alliance will hold a major public meeting in Agartala on October 30, followed by a nationwide rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1.
The campaign was announced by former Union Minister and AICC leader Pradeep Jain at a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Agartala on Monday. Jain, who is also the AICC in-charge of West Tripura and an MLA from Jhansi, said the INDIA bloc was seeking to mobilise people against alleged irregularities in electoral roll revisions and demand greater accountability from the Election Commission.
He said the right to vote was a constitutional entitlement and not a concession from any government. Citing Article 326 of the Constitution, Jain stressed that every eligible citizen must be able to exercise this democratic right without facing unnecessary hurdles.
Expressing concern over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Congress leader alleged that a large number of voters across the country had been removed from the lists. He questioned whether the prescribed procedures were being followed in every case and maintained that deleting names without proper notice could deprive eligible citizens of their democratic rights.
Jain called upon the Election Commission to ensure transparency in the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. He also demanded an impartial inquiry into complaints of wrongful deletions and the restoration of names found to have been removed unlawfully.
To underline his concerns, Jain referred to an alleged instance in which the name of a BJP MP could not be located on the electoral roll during a recent election. He said such claims warranted scrutiny and raised questions about the effectiveness of the electoral process.
The Congress leader also criticised the BJP over its response to concerns surrounding electoral roll revisions, alleging that the ruling party was defending the Election Commission instead of addressing the issues raised by opposition parties.
Turning to the November 1 rally in New Delhi, Jain said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi would lead the programme. Leaders and workers of other INDIA bloc constituents are also expected to join the demonstration. The organisers are targeting a gathering of around 10 lakh people, he said.
In Tripura, the campaign will extend beyond the two scheduled public meetings, with the opposition planning various programmes across different parts of the state over the next two months. Jain said the initiative would seek to bring electoral rights and public concerns into sharper focus.
He also criticised the state government's handling of unemployment and drug trafficking, alleging that both issues had become serious concerns under the present administration. According to Jain, protecting voting rights is essential to ensuring that people can hold governments accountable through democratic means.
Senior Congress leader and party spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty and other party leaders attended the press conference.
Concluding his remarks, Jain described the movement as a broader effort to safeguard democratic institutions rather than a struggle limited to any single political party. He appealed to citizens to support the campaign and participate in the November 1 rally in New Delhi.
