‘VOTE BACHAO, DESH BACHAO’: INDIA BLOC TAKES ANTI-CEC CAMPAIGN TO DELHI STREETS

November 1, 2026

The opposition INDIA bloc is holding a major protest mobilisation at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The demonstration, organised under the slogan “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao”, follows weeks of opposition protests over the deletion of voters’ names and concerns about the transparency of electoral procedures.

The programme includes a march from the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction to Ramlila Maidan, scheduled to begin at noon, followed by addresses from senior opposition leaders. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is leading the mobilisation alongside other INDIA bloc representatives. Supporters from several states, student organisations, civil society groups and Left parties have also assembled in the capital.

Opposition leaders have accused the Election Commission of presiding over an opaque voter-verification exercise that allegedly resulted in the deletion of more than 13 crore names from electoral rolls. They have demanded accountability from the Chief Election Commissioner and called for safeguards to ensure that eligible citizens are not deprived of their voting rights. The Election Commission, however, has rejected allegations of political bias and maintained that voters whose names were wrongly deleted can apply for re-enrolment.

The rally follows a symbolic public impeachment proceeding against Kumar held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on October 31. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the event, where opposition leaders adopted a resolution accusing the CEC of electoral misconduct. The proceeding had no formal parliamentary or constitutional authority to remove him from office.

Security arrangements have been substantially strengthened across central Delhi ahead of the mobilisation. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed around the rally venue, with barricades, crowd-management arrangements and traffic diversions put in place. Authorities have anticipated a large turnout, although estimates of expected attendance differ between organisers and the police.

The protest has also drawn criticism from the BJP, which has accused the opposition of undermining democratic institutions and questioned the timing of the demonstration on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence. The BJP has organised a separate programme in West Delhi to commemorate those killed in the riots.

The INDIA bloc’s mobilisation marks an escalation of its campaign against the Election Commission’s voter-roll revision process. Opposition leaders have indicated that they intend to carry the issue into Parliament and continue protests in different states, keeping electoral transparency and the protection of voting rights at the centre of their political campaign