By Special Correspondent
Bhopal: Senior leaders call for nationwide protests and a human chain at Rashtrapati Bhavan
The Madhya Pradesh Congress on Friday unveiled an expansive ten-point “vote-protection” campaign and accused the Election Commission of effectively being under the control of the BJP, following alleged mass removals from electoral rolls.
“EC captured by BJP”, leaders claim
Addressing a jointly convened press conference at the state party headquarters, state president Jeetu Patwari, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma alleged a “conspiracy” to undermine democracy. Patwari said that although Rahul Gandhi posed five questions to the Election Commission, Home Minister Amit Shah was answering them — “which plainly shows the Commission has been seized by the BJP.”
The leaders charged that during the first phase in Bihar millions of voters were unable to find their polling booths because names were removed overnight. Patwari insisted the party would not allow “a single patriotic citizen” to be disenfranchised.
Nationwide action and mass mobilisation planned
The Congress announced plans for a nationwide rally in Delhi from 25–30 November. Patwari said millions would march from the Ramlila Maidan and form a five-kilometre human chain outside Rashtrapati Bhavan on 30 November, and a memorandum bearing five crore signatures would be handed to the President. He added that 50,000 workers from Madhya Pradesh would travel on 100 special trains.
Allegations and demands
Digvijaya Singh revealed that documents once deemed acceptable — birth certificates, ration cards and school certificates — are now being replaced by a citizenship certificate that “99% of Indians do not possess”. He urged the Election Commission to freeze electoral rolls immediately on announcement of polls to prevent subsequent tampering.
Umang Singhar raised ten pointed questions about simultaneous Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across a dozen states, accusing officials of irregularities, including the deployment of newly recruited teachers and health staff on SIR duties. He warned that the final list, published on 30 December, would leave no time for objections.
Sajjan Singh Verma produced documentary evidence alleging that Form-18 had not reached 65% of panchayats and that 28,000 BLO mobile numbers were missing. He accused the BJP of turning the Election Commission into a “weapon” on 5 June 2025.
Ten-point vote-protection plan
The party’s programme includes house-to-house awareness drives from 10 November, mass document scanning, full BLA training by 20 November, motorcycle rallies and legal action in the Supreme Court on 5 December. Citizens were urged to keep photocopies of Aadhaar, voter ID, ration card and tenth-class mark sheet and to check BLA lists by 10 November.
