The Congress party has postponed its August 5 protest rally, which was aimed at exposing alleged “serious malpractices” by the Election Commission of India (ECI), in light of the death of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder and former CM Shibu Soren.
The rally will now be held on August 8, Congress General Secretary and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala announced at a press conference on Sunday.
Surjewala explained that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi will travel to Ranchi to attend the cremation of Shibu Soren, and their presence was deemed essential for both the funeral and the rally, which the party claims has “national ramifications.”
“In light of the cremation tomorrow and the necessity of both leaders’ presence, the protest program will now be held on August 8,” Surjewala said. “CM Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, AICC leadership, and KPCC have all agreed to the revised date.”
The rally was originally planned in Bengaluru to highlight what Congress alleges are irregularities in electoral rolls and voter data handling by the ECI.
Earlier, Congress MP KC Venugopal accused the poll body of voter list manipulation, particularly pointing to names allegedly missing from the recently released draft electoral rolls in Bihar.
Surjewala also paid rich tributes to Shibu Soren, calling him a “champion of the poor, downtrodden and tribal communities.”
“On behalf of the KPCC and AICC, I extend heartfelt condolences to CM Hemant Soren, the Soren family, and lakhs of JMM workers across the country,” he said. “His life, struggles, and words will continue to inspire both the Congress and JMM.”
Shibu Soren passed away in New Delhi at the age of 81, following a prolonged illness. He was one of the principal architects of the Jharkhand statehood movement and served three terms as Chief Minister.
