70 Youth Congress protesters detained in Bengaluru during ‘vote chori’ march
Bengaluru (PTI): Seventy people, including Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National President Uday Bhanu Chib, were taken into preventive custody by the police on Saturday when they attempted to march towards the office of the Election Commission here, demanding accountability over alleged “vote chori” and electoral irregularities.
Raising anti-BJP slogans — “Down, down BJP!” and “Vote chor gaddi chhodd!” — the members of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (KPYCC) staged a protest at Freedom Park here alleging large-scale “vote chori” (vote theft) in elections across various states.
The demonstration comes a day after the Congress alleged “vote chori on a gigantic scale” in the Bihar assembly elections, with Rahul Gandhi vowing an in-depth review of the outcome and saying “we could not achieve victory in such an election that was not fair from the very beginning.”
The protest at Freedom Park here was led by Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National President Chib, IYC In-charge Manish Sharma, KPYCC President Manjunath Gowda, and saw the participation of several senior Congress leaders from Karnataka, including Labour Minister Santosh Lad and Rajya Sabha MP G C Chandrashekhar.
Speaking to reporters later, Minister Lad said, “Just because they wanted to win elections, they gave Rs 10,000 each to one and a half crore women in Bihar. Apart from that, 65 lakh names have been deleted from the SIR voter list and 20 lakh votes have been added. Today the Prime Minister talks so much about technology and satellites, but the Election Commission has not even provided a digital format of the voter list. This clearly shows they want to commit fraud and misuse power, and because of this they have come to power.”
He alleged that in Maharashtra, in just five to six months after the Lok Sabha polls, the voter list increased by 45 lakh. “If 45 lakh voters can be added in six months, then how many will be added in five years? In Bihar, 65 lakh votes were reduced.”
“It shows a clear misuse of power. This increase in vote share has been happening ever since Gyanesh Kumar took charge as the Election Commissioner,” he claimed.
The protesters, who were marching to the Office of the Election Commission in Bengaluru to submit a memorandum seeking an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and steps to ensure transparency in the electoral system, were taken into preventive custody by the police.
“Seventy protesters were taken into preventive custody as they attempted to march towards the office of the Election Commission here. They were taken in police vans. However, they will be released soon,” a senior police officer said.
After being detained by the police, one of the protesters said, “We will hold agitations across the country. In connivance with the Election Commission, BJP is forming governments. This is not acceptable. The Election Commissioner has become a dalal of the BJP. We will not allow the weakening of the country’s democracy.”
The Congress party has recently alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) in the Haryana assembly polls 2024, Karnataka and Maharashtra elections.
On Friday, Gandhi said the Congress and the INDIA bloc will conduct an in-depth review of the poll results and make more effective efforts to save democracy.
The ruling NDA decimated the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Bihar to retain power, reaffirming Prime Minister Modi's popularity and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's enduring appeal and dealing a body blow to the Congress and ally RJD.
Bihar polls were held over two phases on November 6 and 11.
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Gandhi a way of thinking which ideology of hate unsuccessfully tried to erase: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said Mahatma Gandhi is not just a person, but a way of thinking that an empire, an ideology of hatred and arrogance of power unsuccessfully tried to erase at different points in time.
Terming Mahatma Gandhi the "immortal soul of India", the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha paid tributes to the Father of the Nation on his death anniversary, saying that along with Independence, he gave the nation a fundamental principle that the power of truth is greater than the power of authority.
"Mahatma Gandhi is not just a person, but a way of thinking that an empire, an ideology of hatred, and an arrogance of power have all unsuccessfully tried to erase at different points in time," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
"The Father of the Nation gave us, along with Independence, the fundamental principle that the power of truth is greater than the power of authority and that non-violence and courage are greater than violence and fear," Rahul Gandhi said.
This way of thinking cannot be extinguished, because Gandhi is immortal in the soul of India, he added.
Rahul Gandhi also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Smriti at Tees January Marg here on Martyrs' Day, remembering the life and sacrifice of the Father of the Nation.
"His legacy of truth, courage, and compassion continues to guide our path and remind us of an India we must keep striving for -- just, harmonious, and united," the former Congress chief said in a Facebook post.
Sharing lines of a Bhajan that Mahatma Gandhi used to sing, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The hatred that separated us from Bapu, its solution also lies in Bapu's path. The light of truth, the power of non-violence, and the compassion of love. Homage to the Father of the Nation on Martyr's Day."
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary.
Party general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, recalled two separate letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1948 to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, in which they strongly criticised and raised questions on the activities of the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS.
"Both are damning indictments of the self-declared custodians of nationalism. And to think that there is a Lok Sabha MP wedded to that ideology and who was blessed by the PM himself, who said that he could not choose between Gandhi and Godse. His mindset is revealing," Ramesh said on X, in an apparent reference to BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay's controversial remarks in 2024.
Ramesh also shared a link to Nehru's address on All India Radio on the night of January 30, 1948, after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.
In his letter to Mookerjee, Nehru had said the Hindu Mahasabha had held meetings in Pune, Ahmednagar and Delhi in defiance of the ban order.
"Speeches were delivered that Mahatma Gandhi was an impediment, and the sooner he died, the better it would be for the country. The RSS has behaved in an even worse way, and we have collected a mass of information about its very objectionable activities," Nehru had said in his letter.
Ramesh also shared a screenshot of Patel's letter to Mookerjee in which the former criticised the activities of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha.
Paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi, Congress general secretary in charge of the organisation, K C Venugopal, said that on this day in 1948, the greatest soul to ever guide India and the world was "snatched away from us".
"Today, on Martyrs Day, let's remember Bapu's eternal teachings of Satya and Ahimsa, and warn ourselves of the culture of hate and violence that gave rise to his assassins," he said on X.
"In 2026, the threat remains of their ideological descendants eager to wipe out Gandhiji from our national consciousness. Repeatedly, we see those in the ruling regime evangelise his killers, encourage hate, and are now erasing entire schemes named after Mahatma Gandhi," Venugopal said.
The powers that be may have a delusion that they will succeed in diminishing Bapu through such acts, he said. "But Mahatma Gandhi and his values are deeply embedded in India's psyche, and no amount of effort from those who oppose him can ever succeed in erasing his towering legacy.
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse on this day in 1948. India observes the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as Martyrs' Day to honour the life and legacy of the nation's foremost leader and his ultimate sacrifice for peace, justice, and freedom.
महात्मा गांधी एक व्यक्ति नहीं, एक सोच हैं - वह सोच जिसे कभी एक साम्राज्य ने, कभी एक नफ़रत की विचारधारा ने और कभी अहंकारी सत्ता ने मिटाने की असफल कोशिश की।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 30, 2026
मगर राष्ट्रपिता ने हमें आज़ादी के साथ यह मूलमंत्र दिया कि सत्ता की ताक़त से बड़ी सत्य की शक्ति होती है - और हिंसा व भय से… pic.twitter.com/Hm1frzS3jW
