Youth Congress suspends 202 office-bearers across seven states for skipping INDIA bloc’s Ramlila Maidan rally
New Delhi: The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) has suspended 202 office-bearers across seven states for failing to attend the INDIA bloc’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1. Disciplinary action has been taken against functionaries in Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh (Central), Telangana, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
According to reported figures, the breakdown is: 60 in Madhya Pradesh, 49 in Gujarat, 32 in Jharkhand, 26 in West Bengal, 14 in Telangana, 11 in Uttar Pradesh (Central) and 10 in Haryana. Those suspended include state Youth Congress vice-presidents, general secretaries, secretaries and several district presidents. Suspension orders, dated around November 3 and made effective immediately until further notice, cited organisational indiscipline.
The November 1 rally, part of the Opposition’s agitation against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It was addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and other INDIA bloc leaders. Participants marched from the Minto Road-Connaught Place area to Ramlila Maidan.
The IYC had directed national, state and district-level office-bearers to attend and used its mobile app along with barcode/QR scanners at the Minto Road assembly point to track attendance. Sources said the organisation had aimed for substantial mobilisation (with claims of around 15,000 Youth Congress participants), but app registrations were lower (around 2,800–3,000 in some accounts). IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib has confirmed action against roughly 200 office-bearers so far, with more cases under review and the possibility of the number rising toward 500. He described the move as a measure for accountability rather than permanent punishment, noting that some suspensions have already been revoked where satisfactory explanations were provided. “This is not to instill fear… but just to ensure that IYC continues to support Rahul in his mission,” an IYC source was quoted as saying.
In Madhya Pradesh, the largest batch (including nine district presidents, five vice-presidents, 14 general secretaries and 32 secretaries), several leaders cited personal reasons such as family events. One district president said he missed the rally because his elder brother had a son after 12 years and claimed he had informed state leaders. Party officials in the state said action was taken mainly against those who neither attended nor communicated properly in advance.
The BJP has targeted Rahul Gandhi over the suspensions. Spokesperson C.R. Kesavan claimed that Youth Congress office-bearers had “snubbed” the Leader of Opposition by boycotting the rally because they considered him “unfit and incompetent.” He accused Gandhi of using other issues (including debate challenges to the Prime Minister) to divert attention from the internal disciplinary action.
The suspensions form part of a broader effort by the IYC national leadership to enforce discipline after the high-profile Opposition mobilisation. Reports indicate the exercise has continued or expanded in additional states, including later action in places such as Rajasthan. The orders remain in force until further notice, and the organisation has sought explanations from those affected.
