Ranchi: Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) president Keshav Mahato Kamlesh on Tuesday announced that the Congress will soon launch a state-wide ‘Matdata Bachao, Loktantra Bachao’ (Save Voters, Save Democracy) campaign in response to the ongoing Survey and Identification Report (SIR) process initiated by the Election Commission.
Addressing a press conference, Kamlesh alleged that the voter verification exercise being undertaken in Jharkhand is not a routine revision process but a politically motivated campaign orchestrated at the behest of the central government. “This is not about cleaning voter rolls; it is about stealing voter identities and denying citizens their right to vote,” he said.
He claimed that across the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has exposed how photos and personal details of voters are being stolen from the Election Commission’s servers to create fake identities. “Genuine voters are being deleted, fake names are being added, and multiple voter cards are being issued in the same person’s name,” Kamlesh alleged, adding that such actions undermine the credibility and impartiality of the Election Commission.
The JPCC chief further accused the Commission of being turned into a “tool of the central government’s political agenda” rather than serving as the protector of democracy. “Manipulating voter lists to weaken opposition votes is the gravest violation of electoral neutrality. Congress asks—will the Election Commission protect democracy or act as a data agency for the Centre?” he remarked.
Kamlesh announced that Congress will monitor the SIR process across all districts, with party workers checking voter lists at the booth level to expose any irregularities. “If any voter is deprived of their franchise, Congress will take to the streets in protest,” he warned, asserting that the party is fully prepared for a state-wide movement to safeguard democratic rights in Jharkhand.