New Delhi: A large number of protesters began gathering at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday morning for the INDIA bloc’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
The Opposition is also demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to DCP Central Rohit Rajbir, participants began arriving around 5.30 am, with police and volunteers managing crowds and facilitating entry.
More than 200 CCTV cameras have been installed around the venue, while police personnel are stationed across designated enclosures.
The ‘Chalo Dilli’ march will begin at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction and culminate at Ramlila Maidan, where the rally is scheduled until 5 pm.
The Opposition has projected a turnout of nearly 10 lakh, while police have planned for around 50,000 participants.
Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Central Delhi. Traffic restrictions and diversions are in place at several key junctions from 10 am to 5 pm.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged participants travelling to Delhi to support local traders by shopping during the festive season.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose said the demand for Kumar’s removal should be taken up through formal proceedings in Parliament.
The rally follows the INDIA bloc’s symbolic impeachment proceedings against Kumar on Saturday. The BJP has also planned a march in Hari Nagar over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The protests gained momentum following allegations of electoral irregularities and reports questioning decision-making within the Election Commission.
The poll body has maintained that its decisions were unanimous. Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said his organisation supports the protest but will not formally join it.
Rahul Gandhi Leads Opposition March Against Gyanesh Kumar; Akhilesh, Mamata Join
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the INDIA bloc’s march from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, accompanied by senior Opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.
The march was part of the alliance’s ‘Chalo Dilli’ protest against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. The Opposition is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
INDIA Bloc Supporters Gather at Ramlila Maidan
Supporters and workers of INDIA bloc parties gathered at Ramlila Maidan, displaying placards and raising slogans against the SIR exercise. Student and youth organisations, women, workers and civil society members were also invited to join the demonstration. The alliance projected a turnout of up to 10 lakh, while Delhi Police estimated around 50,000 attendees.
Traffic Restrictions and Heavy Security Across Delhi
Traffic restrictions were imposed across parts of the capital from 10 am to 5 pm, with diversions planned around ITO, Delhi Gate, Rajghat, Ajmeri Gate and Turkman Gate. Commuters were advised to avoid key stretches near the protest venue. Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while more than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body-worn cameras were used for surveillance.
INDIA Bloc Holds Symbolic ‘Public Impeachment’ of CEC
The march followed a symbolic ‘public impeachment’ of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Saturday. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, while Kharge presented a resolution outlining the Opposition’s allegations against the CEC. Rahul Gandhi delivered the concluding remarks. The exercise was a symbolic political proceeding, not a formal constitutional impeachment.
Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP of Forcibly Shutting Shops in Connaught Place
Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of having shops in Connaught Place forcibly shut despite the INDIA bloc’s appeal to rally participants to shop locally and support traders. He claimed the closures had caused losses to shopkeepers and said the country was watching the BJP’s actions. His remarks came amid concerns over the impact of the protest on businesses in the area.
हमने रैली में आने वालों से यहां शॉपिंग करने की अपील की थी, जिससे दुकानदारों का फायदा हो सके।
लेकिन कनॉट प्लेस आते समय पता चला है कि BJP ने जबरदस्ती सारी दुकानें बंद करवा दी हैं।
देश देख रहा है कि BJP दुकानदारों का नुकसान कर रही है।
: नेता विपक्ष श्री @RahulGandhi https://t.co/BUMHbpC7L9
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 1, 2026
Himanta Sarma Defends SIR, Says It Must Weed Out Infiltrators
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the exercise was necessary to identify and remove infiltrators. He described the process as a way to “weed out the Babars and Aurangzebs”.
Sarma accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of opposing the revision to protect infiltrators and asserted that people would not allow them to be included in voter lists.
Targeting the Congress, he alleged double standards and said the party should first resign from the governments it leads before criticising others. He also described the INDIA bloc’s protests against the Election Commission as an attempt to protect infiltrators.
Connaught Place Turns Into Cultural Stage During Anti-CEC Protests
Connaught Place witnessed a mix of protest and cultural performances during demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Amid the ‘Vote Chori’ protests, groups performed traditional dances and played folk instruments on the streets.
Performers playing Dogri instruments spoke to India Today journalist Shivang Shukla, while another group of dancers moved to the beats of Gujarati folk music.
The performances added a cultural dimension to the demonstrations, as protesters gathered in the capital to oppose alleged electoral irregularities and demand accountability from the Election Commission.
Tharoor Says Protecting Genuine Voters More Important Than Removing Every Dead Voter
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said electoral roll revisions must not result in genuine voters being removed from the lists, arguing that the risk of excluding eligible citizens was greater than retaining a small number of deceased voters.
Speaking to ANI ahead of the Opposition’s march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Tharoor said, “It is better to have one or two dead people there than cut out 130 million real people.”
He called for a clean electoral register and accused the Election Commission of taking away citizens’ constitutional rights through large-scale deletions. Tharoor also questioned the need for the exercise, saying elections had been conducted fairly and freely in India for decades without such mass removal of voters.
His remarks came as Opposition parties stepped up protests over the SIR exercise and alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
#WATCH | INDIA bloc mega rally | Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "What we need is an absolutely clean election register. It is better to have one or two dead people there than cut out 130 million real people…"
He says, "The constitutional rights of the Indian people should not be taken away by the Election Commission. What they did was simply wrong. We have conducted elections fairly and freely for 80 years in this country without any of these problems, without people being cut en masse. You cannot cut 130 million voters. As Rahul ji pointed out yesterday, 15% of the Indian adult population has been cut. This is not acceptable. This is a real problem. As far as we are concerned, we want to take everyone along. The entire INDIA bloc is all here… We’re looking forward to this rally. It’s going to be the whole of India trying to send a clear message to the constitutional authorities that the constitutional rights of the Indian people must be protected."
— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2026
Akhilesh Yadav Targets BJP Over Missing Votes Ahead of INDIA Bloc Rally
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday criticised the BJP and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over claims that 1.27 crore votes had gone missing, ahead of the INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said Adityanath had acknowledged the missing votes only after the ruling alliance lost the MLC election. Taking a swipe at the BJP’s ‘double-engine’ slogan, he described the government’s electoral setback as a “double zero”.
#WATCH | INDIA bloc mega rally | Delhi: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav says, "…The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh himself admitted that 1 crore 27 lakh votes had gone missing. And when did he realise this? Only after he lost the MLC election. Those who used to talk about a ‘double engine’ have themselves ended up as a ‘double zero.’ It didn’t just stop at a ‘double zero’; unable to accept the defeat, they approached the Election Commission and demanded a recount. The ‘double engine’ government suffered a double defeat in a single election, and now, suddenly, they claim that 1.27 crore votes, purportedly from Hindus, are missing. Who provided this data? …The government is alleging that the votes of lakhs of beneficiaries are missing. If that is the case, then perhaps they, too, should come to Ramlila Maidan…"
— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2026
Yadav also questioned the demand for a recount after the defeat, alleging that the ruling party had approached the Election Commission over the results.
He further referred to claims that votes belonging to lakhs of government scheme beneficiaries were missing, asking who had provided the figures and suggesting that those raising the issue should also join the protest at Ramlila Maidan.
Rahul Gandhi Appeals to Delhi Residents to Join March
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi shared the route map of the INDIA bloc’s proposed march on X.
दिल्ली, तैयार हो जाओ!
वोट बचाओ, देश बचाओ।कनॉट प्लेस आइए, साथ चलते हैं। या सीधे रामलीला मैदान में मिलते हैं – मगर, आना ज़रूर है।
आज | 🕛 दोपहर 12 बजे
#ChaloDilli https://t.co/ZnBBFCETmz
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 1, 2026
Urging people to participate, Gandhi called on Delhi residents to assemble at Connaught Place and march towards Ramlila Maidan under the slogan ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’. He also invited people to reach the rally venue directly.
The Opposition’s mobilisation is aimed at protesting alleged electoral irregularities, opposing the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls and demanding accountability from the Election Commission.
Watch it here:
