Cong, allies vow tougher fight against 'vote theft'; as EC rejects Rahul Gandhi's claims as 'forged'; Oppn leaders set to march from Parliament to EC office today, writes Archis Mohan

The Congress and its allies in the Opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday vowed to intensify their campaign against what they call "vote theft" in the run-up to 79th Independence Day, even as the Election Commission of India (EC) insisted that Rahul Gandhi's allegations were built on "forged evidence", "wrong analysis", and "absurd conclusions".

- Archis Mohan

On Monday morning, floor leaders of INDIA bloc parties — led by Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha — will march from Parliament House to Nirvachan Sadan, the EC's headquarters, Congress sources said. It's a mere kilometre's walk, but a symbolic act of defiance, signalling that the Opposition intends to take the fight beyond the courts and onto the streets. The bloc has already done so in Bihar over the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Congress strategists believe Gandhi's Thursday press conference in Delhi — where he presented "evidence" of election irregularities, including alleged fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment under the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections — has struck a chord across India, particularly with young voters. The "vote theft" charge and protests over the SIR, they say, have also helped bring INDIA bloc's often fractious parties onto a single platform, even as they prepare to battle each other in key state polls in April-May 2026, notably in West Bengal and Kerala.