Panchmarhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi took time off from Bihar Assembly elections on November 8, 2025, to address the Madhya Pradesh Congress unit’s training camp for newly appointed District and City Congress Presidents at the hill station of Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh.

He spoke to the leaders appointed under the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, an organizational restructuring initiative launched by him from Bhopal in June. Shri Rahul Gandhi emphasized the need to strengthen the organization, ensure ideological clarity, and build a direct connect with the public to prepare for the 2028 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.

The address and his preceding meeting with senior state leaders came as the Election Commission of India began a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in the state. At the training session, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi reportedly said that the Congress had been losing elections in Madhya Pradesh by narrow margins. “We’ve to fight the elections bravely, which alone could result in the formation of a Congress government in Madhya Pradesh,” he said. He urged the newly appointed Presidents of District & City Congress to work inclusively, strengthen the organization at the grassroots, and raise the issues of ordinary citizens—particularly farmers—more assertively.

Before addressing the camp, Shri Gandhi chaired a meeting with senior state leaders, including Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee’s President Shri Jitu Patwari, Leader of Opposition Shri Umang Singhar, former Chief Minister Shri Digvijaya Singh, former minister Shri Kamleshwar Patel, and former Union minister Shri Arun Yadav, Shri Ajay Singh and Dr. Govind Singh. Earlier on Saturday, before flying to Madhya Pradesh, Shri Gandhi posted on X, a video showing children being served mid-day meals on scrap paper at a government school in Sheopur district’s Vijaypur block.

“I’m going to Madhya Pradesh today. Ever since I saw that children are being served mid-day meals in newspapers, my heart has been shattered. These are the same innocent children on whose dreams the future of the country rests, and they aren’t even getting a plate of meal with dignity,” Leader of Opposition wrote. “Over 20 years of BJP government, and they’ve even stolen the children’s plate – their development is just an illusion. The PM and CM should be ashamed over this, India’s future is in a pitiable state,” he added.

On Day 2

SIR is a system to cover up, institutionalize ‘Vote Chori’: Shri Rahul Gandhi

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is a system to “cover up the vote chori (theft) and institutionalize it”, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi said on November 9, 2025, in Madhya Pradesh’s Pachmarhi.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar are “jointly attacking” the Democracy and the Constitution.

“The main issue is of ‘Vote Chori’ and the SIR is a system to cover it up and institutionalize it. The democracy and B.R. Ambedkar Ji’s Constitution are being attacked directly. Modi ji, Amit Shah ji and Gyanesh ji are doing it in a joint partnership and it is hurting the nation badly,” Shri Rahul Gandhi said, speaking to presspersons in Pachmarhi before leaving for Bihar to campaign for the Assembly elections.

The ECI launched the second phase of the SIR in nine States and three Union Territories, including Madhya Pradesh, on November 4. The revision will cover 51 crore voters. The first phase of the exercise was carried out in Bihar following which more than 68 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls.