Congress protest in Bengaluru over alleged electoral fraud postponed to Aug 8

The Congress on Monday (August 4) postponed its August 5 protest over alleged electoral fraud to August 8 due to the death of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren.

Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to lead the agitation in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

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Shibu Soren passed away on Monday at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi.

As a mark of respect for Soren, Rahul's press conference scheduled in Delhi earlier today on electoral malpractices was also cancelled, as was another official briefing by Congress media wing chief Pawan Khera.

Allegation of Assembly poll fraud

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said Soren will be cremated on Tuesday and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Rahul, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will attend the last rites.

“The programme (protest) will now remain as it is, but will remain deferred to August 8,” Surjewala, flanked by Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar, said.

The Congress party had initially announced the protest in Bengaluru for Tuesday against what it calls large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls in Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura constituency in the 2023 Assembly polls.