The Opposition INDIA bloc is holding a rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1, to protest against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The rally, organised under the slogan “Chalo Dilli, Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao”, follows a series of protests by Opposition parties accusing the Election Commission of facilitating large-scale deletions of voters’ names through the SIR exercise.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has appealed to students, civil society groups and members of the public to join the gathering, describing it as a movement to defend democracy and the Constitution.
The main rally at Ramlila Maidan is scheduled from 10 am to 5 pm. INDIA bloc MPs are expected to assemble at the Constitution Club at 11 am, while the march is scheduled to begin at noon from the Minto Road and Connaught Place junction.
Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Tejashwi Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, are expected to participate.
Supporters of several INDIA bloc parties began gathering at Ramlila Maidan early Sunday. Congress workers assembled outside Himachal Bhawan, while Samajwadi Party supporters gathered near Akhilesh Yadav’s residence before proceeding towards the venue. Party workers from several states have also travelled to Delhi for the protest.
Rally Follows Symbolic Impeachment Proceedings Against CEC
Sunday’s mobilisation comes a day after INDIA bloc leaders held a symbolic public impeachment proceeding against Gyanesh Kumar at Kharge’s residence.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings. Kharge moved a resolution listing six allegations against the Chief Election Commissioner, while Rahul Gandhi delivered the concluding remarks before the resolution was adopted.
The resolution accused Kumar of conspiring to influence elections, facilitating the deletion of 13.2 crore voters from electoral rolls, allowing changes to Form 6 without parliamentary oversight and taking control of electoral rolls through the ECINET platform.
It also alleged that the other two election commissioners had been excluded from key decisions, referring to a report by The Indian Express.
The BJP dismissed the symbolic proceedings as “melodrama”.
The Opposition has been accusing the Election Commission of large-scale electoral manipulation through the SIR exercise, describing it as “vote chori”. INDIA bloc parties have also approached President Droupadi Murmu and the Supreme Court over the issue.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, who announced the rally last month, alleged that around 13 crore names had been deleted from electoral rolls across states. He described the mobilisation as a campaign against electoral manipulation.
On Sunday, Venugopal called the rally a “stern warning” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He also said the Congress would continue demanding Kumar’s removal.
“Gyanesh will be removed from his post. Take it from us,” he told reporters.
BJP Organises Counter-Marches Over 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots
The BJP is organising a separate march in West Delhi on Sunday to commemorate those killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The party has accused the Congress of holding its rally on the anniversary of the violence.
The BJP march is scheduled to begin at 11.30 am from Hari Nagar Bus Depot and conclude at Tilak Nagar Metro Station. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj are among those expected to participate.
Another BJP march is planned in Haryana’s Rohtak, where party president Nitin Nabin is expected to lead a “Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao” demonstration. Former Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is scheduled to lead a parallel march in Faridabad.
Heavy Security Arrangements Across Delhi
Delhi Police have deployed more than 4,000 personnel around Ramlila Maidan and along the march route. Central Armed Police Forces and other security units have also been deployed across the capital.
The venue has been divided into 14 security zones, each supervised by an officer of Assistant Commissioner rank. Police have installed more than 200 CCTV cameras and are using drones and body-worn cameras for surveillance.
Senior police officer Rohit Rajbir said police were coordinating with the rally organisers, who had established a separate control room to monitor the gathering.
Security has also been tightened around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Bhagwan Das Road and areas near the Supreme Court and the Election Commission’s office. Gatherings have been prohibited at Jantar Mantar and outside the Election Commission headquarters.
Traffic restrictions and diversions are in place in parts of central Delhi between 10 am and 5 pm. Commuters have been advised to plan their journeys accordingly.
Traders Raise Concerns Over Festive Business
The rally has also drawn objections from traders who fear that road closures and congestion could affect business during the festive shopping period ahead of Diwali.
Automotive Parts Merchant Association president Vinay Narang said traders supported the right to protest but objected to the venue and timing.
He said markets including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Daryaganj, Mori Gate and Kashmere Gate were within three kilometres of the rally site. He added that outstation traders often avoided visiting Delhi for several days around major rallies because of concerns over traffic disruption.
The association’s vice-president, Ravinder Singh Kohli, said daily-wage workers, including porters and cart-pullers, would be among those most affected by any fall in business.
Rahul Gandhi, however, rejected concerns that the rally would hurt local traders. In a post on X, he urged participants to support Delhi’s small businesses by shopping in the city’s markets during their visit.
He also accused the BJP of spreading rumours about the impact of the rally.
CJP Extends Support but Will Not Join Rally
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke, has expressed solidarity with the INDIA bloc’s protest but said it would not participate in the rally.
Dipke met Mamata Banerjee in Delhi on Saturday and thanked her for supporting the organisation’s youth-led demonstrations and standing by its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka during their recent arrests.
He said the party would maintain its independent identity despite supporting the Opposition’s concerns over electoral irregularities.
