TIRUPATI: Alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is coming to power through fraudulent votes with the tacit support of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Congress leaders in Tirupati staged a protest on Monday evening. The programme was held as part of a nationwide call given by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

Led by Tirupati City Congress president Goudapera Chittibabu, party cadres took out a candlelight rally from Panchamukha Anjaneya Swamy temple to the Mahatma Gandhi statue near the RTC bus stand. Holding candles and raising slogans of ‘Vote Chor – Gaddi Chhod,’ the participants expressed their anger against the conduct of the central government and the Election Commission.

District Congress Committee (DCC) president Bala Guruvam Babu lashed out at the BJP, accusing it of ‘stealing votes to grab power.’ Referring to the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, he said Rahul Gandhi’s questions on bogus voting had unsettled the BJP leadership.

Expressing concern, Chittibabu remarked that democracy in the country was under threat and urged people to extend support to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ being undertaken from August 17 to September 1.

PCC vice-president D Rambhoopal Reddy and general secretary Tamatam Venkata Narasimhulu alleged that the Modi government had turned central agencies like the ED, CBI, NIA and intelligence wings into its ‘pocket organisations’ to target opposition leaders and create doubts among people about their impartiality.

Former MP Chinta Mohan organised a parallel protest at the Rajiv Gandhi statue in Tirupati, claiming that just as bogus voter enrolments were done during the 2021 Tirupati Lok Sabha byelection, a similar programme had now begun in Bihar ahead of polls. He alleged that nearly 60 lakh fake votes were added in the State with the Election Commission’s collusion.

Elections must be conducted in a fair and democratic manner. Protecting democracy is the responsibility of every citizen,” he asserted.