NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH, November 20 — The Punjab Congress on Wednesday submitted 26,85,828 signatures to the party leadership, calling it one of the strongest public endorsements of its campaign against alleged “vote-chori” (vote theft). The signatures were handed over to AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal by Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab Bhupesh Bhagel, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and CLP leader Partap Singh Bajwa.
Bhagel told reporters the campaign titled ‘vote chor, gaddi chhor’ had received what he described as “an overwhelming response” across Punjab. “Like the rest of the country, Punjab has shown remarkable support. We have collected nearly 27 lakh signatures from the state alone,” he said.
Warring said the scale of participation reflected widespread unease among voters. “People have rallied behind this movement in a way that speaks for itself. The PCC, Youth Congress and Mahila Congress worked together on the ground to reach every district,” he noted.
Bajwa asserted that Punjab would stand firm against what he called systematic attempts at vote theft. “I can say with full confidence and full guarantee that Punjab will block vote theft,” he said.
Senior leaders including Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra, Haryana Congress chief Rao Narendra Singh and general secretary in charge of Assam Bhanwar Jitendra Singh were present during the submission.
Towards the end of his remarks, a senior leader pointed out that concerns over voting irregularities are not new for the party, recalling how Rahul Gandhi earlier revealed multiple instances of identity misuse and repeated voter entries in Karnataka, calling it a “clear case of how vote theft can be engineered.”
