Congress to hold major rallies in Uttar Pradesh over 'vote theft' issue before 2027 elections

Keeping the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in mind, the Congress party has begun preparations to intensify its election campaign in the state. According to an NDTV India report, Congress is planning to organise large rallies in the state on the issue of 'vote theft' after November 20.

On the other hand, during the 'Insaf Rally' held at Sangrur in Punjab, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on the Central Government. According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, Kharge stated that vote theft has occurred in the country and governments of vote thieves are operating in several places. He directly referred to the government seated in Delhi as a 'government of vote thieves'.

In the same rally, Rahul Gandhi openly challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a debate. Rahul Gandhi claimed that if the Prime Minister sat across from him, he would prove him to be a 'traitor' in just 5 minutes. He further speculated that the Modi government would end in one year and Amit Shah would not be the Home Minister after 3 years.

At the Sangrur rally, Rahul Gandhi cited the issue of drugs in Punjab as the biggest concern. He called Balcour Singh, father of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, onto the stage and said that what happened to Sidhu Moose Wala has now become a 'fashion' in Punjab. Targeting Aam Aadmi Party Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, he said that when Mann was in Delhi, he used to tell jokes and the smell of alcohol would come from his mouth at 11 am.

While Congress and the opposition have turned aggressive, the BJP organised a 'Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy' Padyatra in Gorakhpur. According to an Amar Ujjawala report, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath countered a statement made by Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh Yadav had said that the coming generation would take revenge for every blow of the stick and every wound. In response, Yogi Adityanath stated that in a democracy, 'revenge' does not occur but 'change' happens, and this change is decided by the people through their right to vote.

The Chief Minister added that the people of the country in 2014 and the people of Uttar Pradesh in 2017 decided for a change. The power of this change does not lie with Congress or the Samajwadi Party, but with the people. He claimed that the BJP alone won more seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections than the total seats Congress received in the last three Lok Sabha elections.

BJP National President Nitin Nabin also joined this Padyatra held in Gorakhpur. The programme started from Maharana Pratap Inter College and reached the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel near the Kali Temple at Golghar. A target of one lakh workers' participation was set for this Padyatra. Senior leaders such as State President Pankaj Chaudhary, Vinod Tawde, Harish Dwivedi, Pradeep Verma, Dr. Sanjay Nishad, Om Prakash Rajbhar, and Anupriya Patel were present on the occasion.

Regarding the Rajya Sabha by-election in Madhya Pradesh, according to a Hindustan Times report, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri is poised to be elected unopposed. Returning Officer (RO) Umesh Kumar Sharma rejected the nomination papers of two independent candidates, Kante Sayanna and Rajkumar Lohani. Along with this, the objections raised by Congress and Hemant Katare against Hardeep Singh Puri's nomination were also rejected.

Objectors claimed that the affidavit submitted in Form-26 was incomplete and invalid. However, RO Sharma stated that after examining the documents, no legal violation was found and all papers are as per the rules. Hemant Katare has spoken of approaching the court against this decision and termed it a conspiracy to ensure the Union Minister's victory. According to Hardeep Singh Puri's affidavit, his wife possesses more assets than him and owns an apartment worth ₹34 crore in Geneva.

Hardeep Singh Puri is a minister in the Central Government and has filed his nomination as a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh.