New Delhi: Thousands of supporters from across the country assembled at Delhi's historic Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1, as the Congress-led INDIA bloc organised its 'Chalo Dilli' march and rally, intensifying its protest against alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
The demonstration is primarily focused on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have alleged that the exercise resulted in the removal of names belonging to eligible voters, raising concerns over electoral transparency and citizens' voting rights.
A major demand of the opposition alliance is the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has urged students, young people, women, workers and members of civil society to participate in the mobilisation.
The march is scheduled to proceed from the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction towards Ramlila Maidan, where opposition leaders are addressing the gathering. Several INDIA bloc constituents, including the Samajwadi Party and Left parties, have joined the mobilisation.
The scale of the gathering reflects the opposition alliance's effort to build a nationwide campaign around its concerns over voter-list revisions. While INDIA bloc leaders had targeted a turnout of approximately 10 lakh people, Delhi Police had made arrangements anticipating around 50,000 attendees.
Security arrangements have been significantly strengthened across central Delhi, with police personnel and paramilitary forces deployed along the rally route and at the venue. CCTV surveillance, crowd-management measures and traffic diversions have also been introduced to maintain public safety.
The Election Commission's voter-list revision exercise has become a major political flashpoint, with opposition parties questioning the process and its potential impact on eligible voters. The Commission, however, has maintained that the exercise is intended to identify duplicate and ineligible registrations.
The November 1 mobilisation marks another significant show of opposition unity, with the INDIA bloc seeking to turn its concerns over electoral transparency into a broader political movement.
