HP Cong to mobilise 1,100 leaders for Delhi protest, Sukhu to lead march towards Supreme Court

Shimla, Oct 10

Himachal Pradesh Congress has decided to mobilise at least 1,100 party leaders and workers for the national protest in New Delhi on October 12, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, his Cabinet colleagues, Congress MLAs and organisational functionaries expected to join the march towards the Supreme Court over concerns surrounding electoral transparency and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.

According to the party’s state spokesperson, the delegation will leave for the national capital on Sunday evening and reach Himachal Bhawan on Monday morning. The contingent is expected to include district and block Congress presidents, party office-bearers, chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, officers on special duty and other party activists.

The mobilisation comes amid an intensifying confrontation between the Congress-led INDIA bloc and the Narendra Modi government over allegations of irregularities in the electoral process and the opposition’s demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Sukhu, addressing the media in Shimla on Saturday ahead of the Cabinet meeting, accused the Centre of attempting to muzzle democratic dissent by allegedly preventing young people from organising peaceful protests in Delhi. He maintained that the right to protest and the freedom to question the electoral process were essential to a functioning democracy.

The Chief Minister said that every citizen must be able to exercise the right to vote without fear or pressure.

Referring to the opposition’s allegations of “vote chori”, he argued that concerns about the electoral process should not be suppressed and must be addressed through democratic means.

“If the Central government believes that it can silence democratic voices by preventing peaceful protests, it is mistaken,” Sukhu said, asserting that voters, rather than those holding public office, must ultimately decide who governs the country.

Defending Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Sukhu said that raising questions about electoral practices could not be equated with creating anarchy. He maintained that the Congress leadership was acting in the larger interest of the country by seeking accountability and protecting democratic institutions.

The proposed October 12 mobilisation follows several days of demonstrations by INDIA bloc leaders in the national capital. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other opposition leaders have participated in protests against the CEC and raised concerns about the SIR exercise and alleged electoral irregularities. The opposition has also sought Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

The INDIA bloc’s campaign has included demonstrations near the Election Commission and a protest gathering at Rajghat. Opposition leaders have argued that questions concerning voter-list revisions and electoral integrity require transparent answers.

The Election Commission’s functioning and the allegations made by opposition parties have become the focus of a widening political confrontation.

Congress leader Akshay Singh Nainta, reacting to the developments, said that the credibility of the electoral process and public confidence in the right to vote must take precedence over partisan considerations.

He said every serious question concerning voter lists and the electoral system should be addressed through facts, constitutional provisions and a transparent process.

“Nothing is more important than the people’s right to vote; every question raised about the electoral process requires a transparent answer,” Nainta said, stressing that the issue concerned the democratic rights of citizens rather than any single political party.

He maintained that the opposition had a democratic right to raise concerns, while constitutional institutions had a responsibility to respond to legitimate questions with factual information. He also called for a broader democratic dialogue on the SIR exercise and other issues relating to electoral transparency.

Nainta said Congress workers in Himachal Pradesh had a responsibility to engage with national issues and explain the party’s position at the grassroots level. He argued that public confidence in the electoral system was essential to the legitimacy of democratic institutions.

Sukhu said he would join the proposed march along with Cabinet ministers, legislators and party functionaries, describing the mobilisation as part of the Congress’s effort to defend democratic rights. He also said his government had not attempted to prevent peaceful protests and maintained that citizens must remain free to express dissent.

The October 12 programme is expected to bring a substantial contingent of Himachal Congress leaders to the national capital as the party seeks to extend its campaign beyond Parliament and state-level demonstrations. The planned march towards the Supreme Court is intended to reinforce the opposition’s demand for accountability over the electoral process, although the precise legal course to be pursued was not specified in the statements available.

For the Himachal Congress, the mobilisation will also serve as a test of its organisational capacity to bring state-level leadership and grassroots functionaries together around a national political issue. The party’s emphasis is on voter confidence, electoral transparency and the right to question institutions, while the broader dispute over SIR and the CEC’s role continues to drive the opposition’s campaign.