"Won't let anyone succeed in conspiracy to snatch voting rights": Congress' Pawan Khera

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 16 (ANI): Ahead of the scheduled 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' amid chaos over allegations of "vote theft," Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday said that Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has taken the responsibility to ensure that no one succeeds in the alleged conspiracy to "snatch voting rights" of Indian citizens.
"We will not let anyone succeed in this conspiracy to snatch the voting rights of Indian citizens. Rahul Gandhi has taken up this responsibility, and that is why this yatra is starting from tomorrow," Khera told ANI here.
The Congress party continued its attack on the BJP over alleged 'vote theft' on Saturday, with senior leader Pawan Khera accusing the ruling party of tampering with the voter list by fraudulently adding and removing names. He said that if the SIR drive hadn't begun in Bihar, many irregularities in the voter list would have remained hidden.
Gandhi will kickstart his 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' from Sasaram district of Bihar on August 17, protesting alleged "vote theft" and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel stated that during this campaign, Rahul Gandhi will travel 1300 kilometres in the state.
He added that on the first day of the campaign, Rahul Gandhi will travel from Sasaram to Patna.
"Tomorrow, Rahul Gandhi is travelling from Sasaram to Patna. This journey will last 17 days, during which he will walk 1,300 kilometres. This Voter Adhikar Yatra is a journey against vote theft. This is a fight against people who are forming government after doing vote chori..." Baghel stated.
On August 14, Rahul Gandhi had announced the launch of Voter Adhikar Yatra against the SIR of electoral rolls and called on people to "join this people's movement."
The Congress MP posted on X to make this announcement, and wrote, "From August 17, with #VoterAdhikarYatra, we are launching a direct fight against vote theft from the soil of Bihar. This is not just an election issue - it is a decisive battle to protect democracy, the constitution, and the principle of 'one man, one vote.' We will ensure a clean voter list across the entire country. Youth, workers, farmers - every citizen, rise and join this people's movement. This time, the defeat of vote thieves - the victory of the people, the victory of the constitution."
The announcement comes amid ongoing protests by the INDIA bloc leaders against the alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) and alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
On August 7, Rahul Gandhi had criticised the ECI, saying elections are "choreographed". Presenting Congress's research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency in Karnataka, he alleged the theft of 1,00,250 votes.
The Election Commission has repeatedly asked Rahul Gandhi to submit a signed declaration to back up his claims of "vote theft". (ANI)