New Delhi: The Congress has launched a pilot project called ‘Vote Rakshak’ in five selected Lok Sabha seats where the party’s candidates lost by narrow margins in the 2024 elections or are in doubt.
The pilot program is part of a nationwide campaign launched by the Congress party to fight alleged vote theft or manipulation of voter lists by the BJP, an issue raised by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
According to party insiders, the “Vote Rakshaks” will not only analyze the 2024 national elections but also ensure at the booth level that genuine voters’ names are not fraudulently added or deleted. Insiders said this program will later be expanded to other constituencies.
The selected Lok Sabha seats are Jaipur Rural and Alwar in Rajasthan, Kanker in Chhattisgarh, Morena in Madhya Pradesh, and Bansgaon in Uttar Pradesh. Except in Alwar, where the BJP candidate’s victory margin was over 48,000 votes, and in Morena, where the margin was 52,000 votes, Congress candidates lost the other three seats by a few thousand votes.
To facilitate the pilot project and avoid time-consuming analysis of available hard copies of voter lists, a sample assembly constituency will be selected from each of the five parliamentary constituencies to generate a detailed report and monitor the ‘vote protectors’.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) Rajasthan in-charge secretary Chiranjiv Rao told ETV Bharat, “We have identified the Jhotwara and Alwar city assembly seats, which fall under the Jaipur Rural and Alwar Lok Sabha constituencies, for the study. Jhotwara was chosen because the BJP had a lead of over 100,000 votes there. Our candidate had a lead in other assembly seats within the parliamentary constituency, but this one seat changed the entire outcome. Our candidate lost by a mere 1,615 votes. This raised doubts in our minds.”
He said, “We have chosen the Alwar City Assembly seat, part of the Alwar Lok Sabha constituency, because we suspect vote theft has occurred primarily in urban areas. ‘Vote Rakshaks’ are being deployed in both locations. They will work at the booth level and ensure that no genuine names are removed from the voter list or any fake names are added. They will also analyze the 2024 election results.”
Of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, Congress won eight, while the BJP won 14. In the Jaipur Rural seat, Congress candidate Anil Chopra lost to BJP’s Rao Rajendra Singh by just 1,615 votes. In Alwar, Congress candidate Lalit Yadav lost to BJP’s Bhupendra Yadav by 48,282 votes.
In Chhattisgarh, the BJP won 10 of the 11 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress won just one. Congress candidate Biresh Thakur lost the Kanker parliamentary seat to BJP’s Bhojraj Nag by just 1,884 votes. Chhattisgarh Congress chief Deepak Baij told ETV Bharat, “We’ve received reports of vote theft from several constituencies, but Kanker will definitely be investigated in detail. Numerous complaints were received from there during the elections.”
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP won all 29 Lok Sabha seats. In Morena, Congress candidate Satyapal Sikarwar lost to BJP’s Shivmangal Singh Tomar by 52,530 votes. Of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Congress won six, while the BJP won 33. In Bansgaon, Congress candidate Sadal Prasad lost to BJP’s Kamlesh Paswan by just 3,150 votes.
During the vote count, Sadal Prasad threatened to commit suicide over alleged irregularities. Rahul Gandhi spoke with him by phone that night. According to insiders, a few days later, the Congress demanded a recount in all five assembly seats falling under the Bansgaon Lok Sabha constituency.
