Shashi Tharoor and opposition leaders gathered at a mega rally to protest against the alleged mass deletion of 130 million voters, demanding immediate action to protect constitutional rights and ensure fair elections in the country.

Shashi Tharoor Demands Clean Election Register

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday called for an "absolutely clean election register", saying the constitutional rights of voters must be protected and alleging that the Election Commission's actions had resulted in the deletion of a large number of names from electoral rolls. Speaking on the INDIA bloc's mega rally at Ramlila Maidan, Tharoor said the removal of voters' names on such a large scale was unacceptable and stressed the need to ensure that eligible voters were not deprived of their rights.

Emphasising the need to protect voters' constitutional rights, Tharoor said, "What we need is an absolutely clean election register. It is better to have one or two dead people there than cut out 130 million real people." He further alleged that the Election Commission's actions had affected a significant section of the electorate and said the INDIA bloc had come together to raise the issue.

Opposition Concerns Over Electoral Fairness

Tharoor said, "The constitutional rights of the Indian people should not be taken away by the Election Commission. What they did was simply wrong. We have conducted elections fairly and freely for 80 years in this country without any of these problems, without people being cut en masse. You cannot cut 130 million voters. As Rahul ji pointed out yesterday, 15% of the Indian adult population has been cut. This is not acceptable. This is a real problem. As far as we are concerned, we want to take everyone along. The entire INDIA bloc is all here... We're looking forward to this rally. It's going to be the whole of India trying to send a clear message to the constitutional authorities that the constitutional rights of the Indian people must be protected."

Calls for Resignation of Election Officials

Meanwhile, Congress MP Amar Singh alleged that the electoral process had lost its fairness and integrity, and called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's removal. Speaking about the INDIA bloc's demand, Amar Singh said, "People are arriving from all across India. Everyone is aware of the issue: elections in this country are no longer fair; they are not being conducted with integrity. Votes are being stolen, and a wide range of other problems have emerged. Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, is completely in cahoots with the ruling party; therefore, it is essential to oppose him and ensure his removal. This is why this rally is being held, and we will continue our agitation until Gyanesh Kumar steps down from his position."

The remarks were made at the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan, where opposition leaders gathered to raise concerns over the electoral process. The INDIA bloc's 'Chalo Delhi' rally at Ramlila Maidan was scheduled to begin at 11 am, with MPs assembling at the Constitution Club before proceeding towards the venue from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction at noon. Top Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Hemant Soren, Revanth Reddy, Tejashwi Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, were expected to attend the rally.

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