Mangaluru (Karnataka): The Congress has intensified efforts to strengthen its organisational network in coastal Karnataka while raising concerns over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The party’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ (Save the Vote, Save the Nation) campaign gained momentum in Mangaluru on Sunday, with senior leaders calling for greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
Kamleshwar Patel, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and former minister in the Madhya Pradesh government, held a meeting with party office-bearers in Mangaluru on October 25 to discuss strategies for strengthening the organisation. Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee president Padmaraj Poojary, KPCC working president and MLA Manjunath Bhandary, and district Congress legal cell head Manoraj Rajiv were among those present.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Patel alleged that the BJP-led Union government was undermining the constitutional principle of ‘one person, one vote’ through what the Congress describes as ‘vote chori’. He said protecting the integrity of elections was essential to safeguarding democracy.
Patel raised concerns over alleged deletions of eligible voters from electoral rolls, procedural changes introduced by the Election Commission and questions surrounding the Commission’s internal decision-making. Referring to an investigative report by The Indian Express, he claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded written objections to decisions taken by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on at least 14 occasions between October 2025 and August 2026.
The Congress leader sought explanations regarding changes to Form-6, the centralised management of the ECINet system, restrictions on election officials’ jurisdiction and the addition of a declaration to the online Form-6 process. He also referred to concerns raised by Rahul Gandhi about the role of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in the changes.
Citing figures relating to electoral roll revisions, Patel claimed that Karnataka’s draft electoral roll figures had declined from 5.54 crore to 4.46 crore following the revision, representing a difference of approximately 1.08 crore entries. He also alleged discrepancies involving more than 43.80 lakh voter entries.
Referring to the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, Patel cited 1,00,250 entries that Rahul Gandhi had flagged as suspicious. These allegedly included 11,965 duplicate entries, 40,009 invalid addresses, 10,452 instances of multiple registrations at one address, 4,132 invalid photographs and 33,692 questionable Form-6 applications.
Patel further referred to alleged voter deletions in Bihar, a decline in electoral roll numbers in West Bengal, an increase in Maharashtra and around 25 lakh suspicious entries in Haryana. He also cited claims that 97 eligible voters in Goa could not have their names reinstated because of technical limitations in the ECINet system.
Calling for accountability from both the Union government and the Election Commission, Patel said the campaign was aimed at protecting constitutional rights rather than securing electoral victories alone.
The Congress has urged citizens, democratic organisations and party workers to participate in a rally organised by the All India Congress Committee at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1, 2026.
Party leaders, including Dakshina Kannada District Congress President Padmaraj Poojary, MLA and KPCC Working President Manjunath Bhandary, MLC Ivan D’Souza, and former MLA Ramanath Rai were present at the press conference.
