The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) has suspended 215 office-bearers across eight states for failing to attend the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)’s November 1 rally as part of protests against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral roll revisions.
People aware of the matter said IYC used a mobile application to monitor attendance at the rally, which was the largest Opposition mobilisation in recent years.
A Congress leader said the mobile application was used to share locations, timing and other rally details. “Office-bearers who did not register and follow the instructions on the application were among those who faced action.”
The IYC also used barcode scanners at the assembly point on Delhi’s Minto Road to track attendance.
A second Congress leader said the IYC leadership had directed all national, state and district-level office-bearers to attend the rally and the march preceding it.
The suspension orders were issued on November 3 and will remain in force until further notice. The IYC leadership described the absences as indiscipline, noting that office-bearers were directed to participate in the event.
The highest suspensions (60) were in Madhya Pradesh. An order the Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress shared on X cited organisational indiscipline for missing the “Vote Chori Rally” and said the action followed the national leadership’s directions.
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After the rally, Rahul Gandhi said on X that the large turnout showed democracy and truth would prevail.
Gujarat accounted for 49 suspensions, Jharkhand 32, West Bengal 26, Telangana 14, Himachal Pradesh 13, Uttar Pradesh (Central) 11, and Haryana 10.
In Gujarat, those suspended include district presidents from Ahmedabad, Amreli, Anand, Aravalli, Banaskantha, Gandhinagar, Junagadh, Mehsana, Patan, and Panchmahal.
The INDIA-bloc march snaked through central Delhi for over an hour before the rally, where Rahul Gandhi attacked the government, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah will not be allowed to escape the law. He called Kumar’s removal the first step to bring the country back on track.
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Over the past month, thousands of people have hit the streets, despite Metro closures, internet shutdown, and prohibitory orders. In October, around 40,000 security personnel turned the Capital into a virtual fortress and sparked controversy by dragging, manhandling, and detaining many agitators.
