‘Save The Vote, Save The Country’ Campaign: Massive Rally Organised By I.N.D.I.A. Bloc In Agartala.

Agartala, Tripura, 31st of October, 2026 :  A massive rally was organised in Agartala by the The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) alliance, Tripura, as part of its ‘Save The Vote, Save The Country’ campaign on Friday (30th October, 2026). The rally raised several demands, including the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an inquiry into the allegations levelled against him, an end to the alleged deprivation of voting rights in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the restoration of ballot paper-based voting, the re-establishment of a neutral system for appointing Election Commissioners, and the withdrawal of what the organisers described as illegal lifetime immunity granted to Election Commissioners.

The rally began at Orient Chowmuhani and passed through various roads of the city before reaching the office of the Election Commission, where participants were reportedly stopped by police. Carrying the national flag and singing patriotic songs, members of various opposition political parties, democratic organisations and prominent personalities took part in the programme.

At the event, Tripura Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha congratulated the people of the state who participated in and extended their support to the rally, particularly those committed to peace, democracy and democratic values. He also appealed to patriotic individuals within the BJP who wish to protect the state, their families and future generations to come forward and join the movement to safeguard democracy.

A. Saha alleged that the country is facing a deep crisis across various sectors, including the economy, agriculture, labour, employment, education and healthcare. He said that prices are rising, while wages and employment opportunities for educated and uneducated people, rural unemployed individuals and women are declining.

He further alleged that incidents of corruption and exploitation of people’s money are also increasing in Tripura. According to him, the BJP government has resorted to electoral malpractice and vote theft to conceal the prevailing situation and remain in power.

He stated that since 2014, opposition parties have raised allegations of irregularities and electoral fraud, supported by evidence, in various elections across the country, as well as in Tripura’s elections since 2018. He said that they had also approached the courts seeking justice but had not received the desired relief.

He further raised serious questions about the role of the Election Commission, alleging that there was virtually no distinction between the Commission and the BJP headquarters. According to him, the Chief Justice of India was excluded from the committee responsible for appointing Election Commissioners, while control was effectively placed in the hands of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the ruling party. He claimed that this had put the independence and impartiality of the Election Commission at risk.

A. Saha alleged that genuine voters were being removed from electoral rolls, newly eligible adult citizens were being prevented from registering, and names were being added illegally through the alleged misuse of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and Forms 6, 7 and 8. He claimed that the voting rights of approximately 13.39 crore citizens had been affected.

Raising allegations of irregularities in the voter list revision and electoral processes in West Bengal, he demanded the cancellation of the election process. He also questioned the implementation of Supreme Court directives, the verification of voters’ eligibility and the procedure for referring cases to tribunals.

He pointed out that more than 13,000 discrepancies had reportedly been detected in an Uttar Pradesh Assembly constituency in Pilibhit between the draft and final electoral rolls and the details recorded on EPIC cards. He also alleged that investigations conducted by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress had revealed similar discrepancies in more than a hundred Assembly constituencies. According to him, unless these discrepancies are rectified, many voters may be unable to exercise their voting rights.

He further alleged that in Karnataka, nearly one crore names had been deleted from the electoral rolls through the use of Form 7 following the SIR process, while the names of more than two crore eligible adult citizens had not been included in the voter lists.

He also raised questions over the Election Commission’s failure to respond to RTI applications filed by retired Army Commander and social activist Lokesh Yatra, its reluctance to disclose information about the software used in the SIR process, and the lack of transparency regarding the voting rights of nearly 30 lakh voters in West Bengal, along with many others whose cases were referred to tribunals.

He further alleged that two Election Commissioners had written to the Union Cabinet Secretary on July 29, raising concerns over alleged violations of rules in the allocation of responsibilities by Election Commission Deputy Commissioner Manish Garg. However, he claimed that the responsibility for investigating the allegations had been assigned to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, against whom the complaints had reportedly been raised. According to him, this had further intensified doubts about the impartiality of the Election Commission.

Ashish Kumar Saha stated that the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alone would not resolve the problem. He said the Election Commission must be transformed into a truly independent and impartial institution and that the entire democratic electoral system needs fundamental reform.

He further stated that ending what he described as the BJP’s authoritarian rule was no longer merely the responsibility of the Congress but a duty of all democratic-minded people across the country. He alleged that attempts were being made to weaken the movement by creating divisions among opposition parties. However, he said the unity that had emerged across the country and in Tripura over the protection of the Constitution and democracy was unprecedented.

Referring to the history of Germany and Italy, he said that even as attacks by fascist forces intensified, democratic forces could strengthen their unity further. He added that Rahul Gandhi, the Congress and INDIA alliance leaders had consistently stood alongside various democratic movements, including student movements.

Calling for a united movement by setting aside ideological differences, he urged people to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of non-violence, non-cooperation and Satyagraha. He alleged that the BJP was attempting to suppress movements by using government machinery, black money and various other forces. However, he called upon people to face such challenges with patience and unity and work towards defeating what he described as the corrupt BJP government in Tripura.

Addressing the rally, former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar called upon all democratic forces to unite to defeat the BJP-RSS alliance in the interest of the country and the state, to safeguard the Constitution and protect the future generations.

MLA Sudip Roy Barman criticised the BJP’s activities across the country and warned that if any attempt was made to deprive people of their voting rights or curtail democratic rights in Tripura, the INDIA alliance would unitedly resist such moves.

Leaders of the CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc, CPI(ML), TPP and Ganamanch also called for strengthening democratic unity, expressing similar views.

Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) Politburo member Jitendra Chaudhury chose not to deliver a lengthy speech. Instead, he congratulated the democratic forces on their spontaneous show of unity and assured that his party would take all possible steps to further strengthen this unity.

MLA Gopal Chandra Roy, Pradesh Congress spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty, former MP and CPI(M) leader Shankar Prasad Datta, former minister Naresh Jamatia, former Chief Executive Member of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Radhacharan Debbarma, veteran leader Sri Narayan Kar, and leaders from various political parties participated in the rally.

The programme concluded with the singing of the national anthem.