Ram Lila 'vote chori' rally is Congress template for Lok Sabha 2029 polls

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi set out his message at the Ram Lila Maidan in a few straight forward points on Sunday, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stealing elections through faulty electronic voting machines and a conspiracy to delete voters in cahoots with the chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Warning the BJP top brass that they are not “bigger” than the Constitution, Rahul said elections have been stolen for years and Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and the 2024 Lok Sabha election are all cases of “vote chori.”

“After the 2024 election 13.5 crore voters have been removed from the voter list. Fifteen percent of voters have been removed. The difference between National Democratic Alliance and us was 3% in 2024. After that 15% voters were removed. This means the 2024 election was an illegal election,” Rahul said and declared that the CEC would go to jail and further asserted that without Kumar’s assistance neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor home minister Amit Shah would hold their current offices. All three would have to go as vote theft cannot be categorised as ordinary or petty crime as it affected every citizen’s basic rights.

Street campaign and legal challenges

Rahul’s attacks on the CEC and the Prime Minister and Home Minister were a continuation of his “vote chori” campaign and while the veracity of claims made from the stage at Ram Lila Maidan by the Congress leader and other INDIA bloc personalities can be subjected to scrutiny and fact checks, the line of attack is apparent. The INDIA bloc is concentrating its fire power on raising questions about the legitimacy of BJP’s electoral success and playing up the narrative of “democratic backsliding” in India. The political approach witnesses on Sunday is complimented by a sustained “lawfare” in Supreme Court where Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) is repeatedly challenged.

The rally invited a volley of attacks from BJP, with health minister J P Nadda accusing Congress of trying to bring about a regime change through anarchic actions and stoking unrest. Shah said Rahul could be PM only in a “mock Parliament” and Puri MP Sambit Patra challenged attendance claims at Ram Lila Maidan as being a few thousands rather than claims of the show being a “mega” rally.

SIR rhetoric or live issue?

Though the SIR has not been a relevant issue with voters in state elections – barring West Bengal where the previous Mamata Bannerjee government did its best to scuttle the SIR – the political impetus to post-defeat blame the EC can be seen. During the campaign for the Tamil Nadu election, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) did not find any fault with the SIR but after defeat the revision of electoral rolls has been held responsible for the party’s loss. Interestingly enough, the winner Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has also belatedly criticised SIR – claiming it would have won 160 seats but for manipulation of the electoral rolls!

The crowd at the soggy Ram Lila Maidan which had been inundated by three days of rains was sizeable but nowhere near the claims advanced before and after the rally. Left flags – CPI(M), AISA and SFI – were most in evidence followed by a large number of Samajwadi Party (SP) banners. The number of Congress flags and banners in comparison were fewer even though it was clearly evident that Rahul was the main speaker and draw. The challenge for Congress and its allies lies in making “vote chori” a sufficient relevant issue for voters to turn against BJP.

Opposition Plans

The crowd gathered at Sunday’s rally had a grouse with BJP and perhaps the specifics of the “vote chori” charge are not overly relevant for them. They might rally to any call against BJP as they feel left out in the current dispensation either due to economic reasons or social and political affiliations. A march through the city center’s roads and the show at Ram Lila Maidan can be seen as regular political activity and serves to mobilise the INDIA bloc and bring its leaders together on one stage. It can also be anticipated that the Opposition parties might continue to raise the din over SIR and allied matters till the winter session of Parliament.