Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 11 : Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Sunday rejected Opposition allegations of "vote theft" and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. 
Speaking during a visit to South Kashmir's Anantnag district, the Minister took a direct jab at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and questioned the rationale behind the Opposition’s protests regarding the electoral system.
Athawale countered the allegations raised by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. "The allegations of vote theft raised by Rahul Gandhi, I have a question for him: from where you are elected, our votes have been stolen? Do we also claim our votes were stolen? We can say that Congress leaders have won due to fake votes. Things cannot work like that," he said.
Athawale emphasised that political parties cannot selectively accuse democratic institutions of fraud depending on election outcomes. 
Addressing the activist groups and political outfits involved in recent demonstrations, including the CJP, Athawale criticised their habit of demanding high-profile resignations whenever an issue arises.
Referring back to the NEET examination paper leak row, the Union Minister stated, "And to the members of the CJP, your party was active regarding the NEET exam paper leaks. You demanded Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation; his resignation had been accepted, and all your demands had been met. What is the need for you to get involved in this issue concerning Gyanesh Kumar now? Gyanesh Kumar ji does not need to resign over the vote chori allegations." 
Athawale asserted that the Election Commission functions independently and transparently, stating that protests against routine electoral roll revisions go against democratic norms.
On recent demonstrations in the capital, he said while peaceful protest is a democratic right, violence would not be tolerated and law and order would be strictly enforced.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has called for a massive opposition protest march to the Supreme Court of India on Monday, October 12.
The march will see participation from INDIA bloc parties, youth groups, civil society organisations and citizens, with the procession heading to the Supreme Court in New Delhi to meet Chief Justice Surya Kant.
According to the plan, opposition leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to meet the Chief Justice between 4 pm and 5 pm.
The protest centres around three key demands, an end to alleged vote tampering or "vote chori", including irregularities in the electoral process and EVMs, an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.