Congress, CPI(M), CPI, AAP and CJP Likely to Present Joint Front at November 1 Rally

himachaleditor October 24, 2026 2 minutes read

Shimla, October 24

The Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and other INDIA bloc constituents in Himachal Pradesh are mobilising support for a joint protest rally against alleged voter manipulation and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, scheduled to be held at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1.

Around 5,000 to 10,000 people from Himachal Pradesh are expected to participate in the rally under the INDIA bloc banner, party leaders said at a joint meeting and press conference held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in Shimla. Congress spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore, CPI(M) Kisan Sabha president and former MLA Rakesh Singha, and former Shimla Mayor Sanjay Singh attended the meeting.

AICC in-charge of Himachal Pradesh Rajani Patil, who is visiting Shimla, said the INDIA bloc was conducting a nationwide awareness campaign to mobilise public support against the SIR exercise and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. She claimed that the exercise threatened the voting rights of citizens and said the opposition parties would intensify their campaign to protect democratic participation.

Patil said the INDIA bloc expected around 10 lakh people to assemble at Ramlila Maidan on November 1 to register their protest. She alleged that the revision of electoral rolls could deprive eligible citizens of their voting rights and warned that the right to participate in the democratic process was under threat.

Rakesh Singha said Indian democracy was facing a serious crisis and alleged that the Election Commission was facilitating the ruling BJP’s political interests through the electoral roll revision process. He questioned the alleged use of Form 6, ordinarily meant for applications for inclusion of names in electoral rolls, and raised concerns over the possible deletion of eligible voters.

Singha said opposition parties could not effectively challenge what he described as organised electoral fraud while fighting separately. He called for coordinated political action, arguing that unity among opposition parties was essential to protect free and fair elections.

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He maintained that the issue went beyond electoral politics and concerned the survival of democratic institutions. Unless alleged voter manipulation was stopped, he warned, restoring public confidence in the electoral process would become increasingly difficult.

The INDIA bloc leaders appealed to people from different sections of society to join the November 1 rally, asserting that protecting voting rights required collective political and public mobilisation.