Bengaluru, 4 Aug

The Congress on Monday announced deferring its August 5 protest over alleged electoral fraud 8 August in light of the death of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren. Top party leader Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to lead the agitation here on Tuesday.

Addressing reporters here, Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said Soren will be cremated on Tuesday and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Gandhi, 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 8 August," Surjewala, flanked by Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief DK 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.