GUWAHATI: Senior leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee, marched towards Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on Sunday, November 1, for a major Opposition rally demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.
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The leaders travelled in an open bus from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence to the rally venue, where supporters and party workers gathered. The rally, organised under the banner of the INDIA bloc's 'Chalo Delhi' march, comes amid growing Opposition criticism of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Ahead of the rally, posters announcing the 'Chalo Delhi' march were put up outside Ramlila Maidan, while security arrangements were tightened across the national capital.
The INDIA bloc had also carried out a symbolic 'public impeachment' of Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday, October 31, unanimously adopting a motion through a show of hands. The Opposition parties levelled six charges against the CEC, including alleged collusion with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the deletion of 13.2 crore voters through the SIR exercise, and acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. These remain allegations made by the Opposition.
Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel, including Delhi Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF), have been deployed across central and New Delhi to manage security during the rally.
More than 4,000 personnel have been stationed around Ramlila Maidan, along the route from Minto Bridge to the venue and in surrounding areas. Multi-layered barricading has also been put in place around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Bhagwan Das Road and areas near the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India office.
Authorities have announced traffic diversions across parts of central Delhi between 10 AM and 5 PM, advising commuters to plan their journeys accordingly.
The rally is the latest expression of Opposition anger over the SIR exercise, which has removed around 13 crore names from draft electoral rolls across the country. The Election Commission maintains that the revision is intended to update voter lists by removing the names of deceased individuals and those who have shifted from their registered addresses.
However, Opposition parties allege that the exercise could result in the removal of eligible voters, potentially benefiting the BJP. They have accused the CEC and the ruling party of 'vote chori'. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have denied the allegations.
The controversy intensified in September after an investigation by The Indian Express reported that Gyanesh Kumar had taken key decisions concerning the SIR exercise without the agreement of the two other election commissioners, who had reportedly raised objections on more than a dozen occasions.
The Election Commission has maintained that the exercise is intended to update electoral rolls by removing the names of deceased voters and those who have shifted from their registered addresses.
The controversy gained further attention in September following an investigation by The Indian Express, which reported that the CEC had taken key decisions regarding the SIR exercise without the agreement of the two other election commissioners, who had reportedly raised objections on more than a dozen occasions.
