Kolkata: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday publicly extended her support to the opposition INDIA Bloc’s scheduled rally at New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1, called to protest against alleged “vote theft” and electoral irregularities.
In a post on social media platform X, Banerjee urged students, youth, women, workers, and civil society members to participate in the demonstration, framing the rally as a crucial stand against systemic electoral misconduct across West Bengal and other states.
“On Sunday, 1 November, I.N.D.I.A will stand united at Ramlila Maidan. The fight against Vote Chori is a fight to protect every Indian’s right to choose. The Vote Loot in Bengal and across other states demand answers, not silence!” Banerjee wrote.
The former Chief Minister raised four core operational areas of concern regarding the country’s democratic process: electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter data integrity, electoral roll transparency, and the vote-counting process.
“EVMs under scrutiny, voter data under question, electoral rolls under suspicion, counting under challenge. I appeal to students, youth, women, workers and civil society to join us in this fight. When the vote is under threat, silence is not an option,” she stated, concluding with a call to “defend our democracy and save our constitution.”
The opposition coalition is finalising preparations for the massive November 1 gathering at Ramlila Maidan. The rally is specifically targeted against alleged electoral malpractice, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The announcement follows a similar appeal made earlier on Thursday by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who urged citizens to join the ‘Chalo Delhi Ramlila March’ to halt alleged electoral manipulation and uphold constitutional principles.
To counter the opposition’s mobilisation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced it will launch a nationwide counter-campaign titled ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ starting October 31, with a special emphasis on West Bengal, aimed at neutralising allegations raised by the opposition alliance and regional political rivals.
(IANS)
