Congress takes out Nagpur bike rally over SIR and voter deletions, launches second phase of 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao'

The Congress took to motorcycles in Nagpur on Wednesday to press its allegation that eligible voters are being struck off the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The rally marked the start of the second phase of the party's 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' campaign, and the party picked Nagpur as the city from which to begin it.

Riders set off from the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Trisharan Chowk in Rameshwari and rode to the Mahakalkar Sabhagriha in Dattatraya Nagar. Along the way, the party used the occasion to voice its objection to the way Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is running the Election Commission, and to raise the larger question of voters' rights and the conduct of the election process.

Maharashtra Congress in-charge Sirivella Prasad, Nagpur city Congress president Praful Gudadhe Patil and MLA Abhijit Wanjari were among the senior leaders who joined the ride. They were accompanied by members of several block committees, corporators, Youth Congress office-bearers and a large number of party workers.

Party leaders said the rally was meant to draw attention to the questions that have surfaced over voters' names during the SIR exercise, and to record the Congress's protest against what it sees as shortcomings in the election process. They added that the campaign is intended to safeguard the right to vote and to make sure that no eligible voter is left out of the rolls.

Sirivella Prasad and Praful Gudadhe Patil addressed the media at the event and set out the party's position. The claims of name deletions and the objections to the SIR process are the Congress's own stated position.