Jaipur, Sep 28 (PTI) A Rajasthan Congress protest march to the State Election Commission office here on Monday over alleged vote theft and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls was stopped by police using water cannons.
Congress workers gathered at Shaheed Smarak, where party leaders addressed the protesters. However, the protesters were stopped by police soon after they began marching.
Police used water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Party workers lifted Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Tikaram Jully and former minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas on their shoulders as they raised slogans.
Congress’ Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state president Govind Singh Dotasra were also part of the protest.
A large number of police personnel were deployed at Shaheed Smarak and barricades were erected in the area. Traffic on MI Road was diverted.
Addressing the protesters ahead of the march, Dotasra launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, blaming him for “irregularities” in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
He said Kumar had “looted democracy”.
Dotasra said Monday’s protest was only the beginning and Congress workers would take the issue to people across the state.
Gehlot alleged that a dangerous game was being played in the country and democratic institutions were being weakened.
“Congress workers will have to remain alert. This is a do-or-die battle. Workers should go among the people, understand the situation in the country and see how they can contribute to saving democracy,” he said.
Referring to the recently held urban local body elections in the state, the former CM claimed that the Congress lost because of “arbitrary and wrong” delimitation of wards.
“The government resorted to hooliganism in the urban local body elections and misused police and administration. We lost the elections because of delimitation,” he said.
Randhawa said the BJP was trying to end democracy while the Congress was fighting to protect it.
He said the Congress would take the agitation to the people and make them aware of the issue.
The Indian Express had reported on September 25 that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote separately to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan after issuance of a work allocation order within the Election Commission (EC) that “threatened to concentrate the powers” at the poll body centrally to add or delete names and update records in the voters’ list rather than allowing officials at the state level. PTI SDA DIV
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