The Congress on Thursday said voices against the alleged "capture" of the electoral system were growing louder and claimed that citizens would no longer tolerate "vote chori" in any form.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh, citing former chief election commissioner OP Rawat's remarks on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleged that the exercise had resulted in the disenfranchisement of nearly 14 crore voters.
"In an interview to a leading national daily, Former CEC O.P. Rawat has questioned the SIR and the violations committed by the ECI. It is 'the first time since Independence that so many eligible voters have lost their vote'," Ramesh said in a post on X.
He said Rawat had also questioned the Election Commission's handling of the SIR and argued that the credibility of the poll panel, once considered the "gold standard", had been damaged.
Ramesh said the opposition INDIA bloc remained committed to protecting the Constitution and democracy.
Rawat, in an interview with The Hindu, reportedly said this was the first time since Independence that such a large number of eligible electors had lost their voting rights.
He also said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, who held a majority in the three-member poll panel, should have forced a vote to annul decisions they disagreed with, as the chief election commissioner does not have a veto.
The Congress' remarks came a day after the INDIA bloc announced a series of joint "Save Democracy" marches and rallies over alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
The opposition parties decided that all INDIA bloc MPs would march to the Election Commission on October 6, while leaders would meet President Droupadi Murmu to raise concerns over alleged irregularities in voter-list revision.
The bloc also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, called for future elections to be held using ballot papers and urged the Supreme Court to expedite cases concerning SIR and alleged electoral malpractices.
The developments follow a report by The Indian Express that Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders concerning SIR, saying they had been issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission, facing criticism over the reported differences among its members, has maintained that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and that all its orders have full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
(With inputs from PTI)