Tripura Congress to launch 'vote chor, gaddi chhod' stir from August 22

Agartala, Aug 18 (PTI) The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) on Monday announced it will start a statewide agitation titled 'vote chor, gaddi chhod' (vote thief, renounce power) from August 22, a senior party leader said.

The agitational programme, under which nine rallies will be organised in several towns, will continue till September 7.

Rallies will be organised in Agartala, Teliamura, Bishalgarh, Dharmanagar, Ambassa, Kailashahar, Belonia, Khowai and Sonamura, and will be addressed by senior leaders.

The announcement comes after the AICC asked the party's state units to intensify the movement against the "ploy to debar eligible voters from the electoral rolls".

Addressing a press conference here, TPCC president Asish Kumar Saha alleged that the Election Commission, which has the responsibility to conduct free and fair elections, has deleted 65 lakh voters from the electoral rolls of Bihar, where polls are due later this year, through the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.

"Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi has exposed the EC's ploy to delete 65 lakh voters from the electoral rolls in the name of SIR. Instead of responding to Gandhi's allegation of theft of vote, the CEC (Gyanesh Kumar) has asked him to file an affidavit about his claim within one week," he said.

Alleging that the EC has been acting as a "frontal organisation of the ruling party", Saha claimed the BJP had been winning elections since 2014 by using "muscle and money power and administrative manipulation".

Saha said the BJP knows it will not win elections in Tripura if it did not rig the electoral process.

"Everybody knows how the BJP won elections to Agartala Municipal Corporation and three-tier panchayats. Even the Chief Minister (Manik Saha) won the by-election (to Bardowali in 2022) by rigging," he alleged.

"Rahul Gandhi is on the road to safeguard people's right to vote. Following instructions from the AICC, the TPCC will organise 'vote chor, gaddi chhod' from August 22 to September 7 to ensure people's right to vote. I appeal to the people to join the movement to safeguard democracy and constitutional rights," he said. PTI PS ACD