Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called for a united opposition campaign against alleged electoral irregularities, accusing authorities of allowing "vote chori" in West Bengal and other states and urging people to participate in the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally in New Delhi.
In a social media post, Banerjee raised concerns over the credibility of the electoral process and appealed to students, youth, women, workers and civil society organisations to join opposition parties in demanding accountability.
"The fight against Vote Chori is a fight to protect every Indian's right to choose. The Vote Loot in Bengal and across other states demand answers, not silence!" she said.
Her remarks came ahead of the opposition alliance's demonstration at Ramlila Maidan, where leaders are expected to raise allegations concerning electoral roll revisions and the functioning of the Election Commission.
๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐
Banerjee questioned several aspects of the electoral system, including Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), voter information, electoral rolls and the counting process.
She described EVMs as being under scrutiny, voter data as being questioned, electoral rolls as being under suspicion and vote counting as facing challenges.
"When the vote is under threat, silence is not an option. Let us stand together to defend our democracy and save our Constitution," she said.
Her allegations form part of the opposition's wider campaign against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The claims of electoral manipulation remain allegations and have not been established by the reported statements.
๐ฅ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐บ๐น๐ถ๐น๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป
The INDIA bloc's rally is scheduled for November 1, with Banerjee's appeal specifying 12.30 pm as the gathering time.
The demonstration is expected to bring together senior opposition leaders and supporters from different states, with the alliance seeking to intensify its campaign over electoral roll revisions and demand accountability from the Election Commission.
Delhi Police has granted conditional clearance for the rally, with the permitted event window extending from 10 am to 5 pm. Organisers have been instructed to comply with security, surveillance and crowd-management requirements.
Banerjee's appeal came as INDIA bloc parties continued efforts to mobilise supporters for the demonstration, presenting the campaign as a collective effort to safeguard voting rights and constitutional institutions.