Rahul, Priyanka urge people to vote, say it is an election to protect democracy, Constitution
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged people on Tuesday to vote in large numbers in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, asserting that this is an election to protect democracy and the Constitution.
Voting is being held in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union territories in the third phase of the parliamentary polls.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "Today is the third phase of voting! I request all of you to come out in large numbers and vote to protect your rights."
"Remember, this is not an ordinary election, it is an election to protect democracy and the Constitution of the country," the former Congress chief said.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Dear people of the country, this election is an election to protect democracy and the Constitution of the country. This is an election to defeat historic unemployment, rampant inflation, institutional corruption and economic crisis."
"Every single vote is important. Vote after giving it a deep thought and in large numbers, using your discretion. Vote for the future of you and your children," the Congress general secretary said.
More than 1,300 candidates, including around 120 women, are in the fray in the third phase of the election. As many as 17.24 crore people, including 8.39 crore women, are eligible to vote in this phase and 1.85 lakh polling stations manned by 18.5 lakh officials have been set up.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
