The opposition INDIA bloc packed Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1, for its much-publicised "Chalo Dilli" rally, and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi used the stage to make his sharpest attack yet on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Gandhi told the crowd that Kumar would be removed from office and sent to jail, accusing him of enabling "vote chori" (vote theft) through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and several other alliance leaders shared the stage, each repeating the central demand: the CEC must go. The BJP dismissed the whole event as political theatre.
Why the opposition marched to Ramlila Maidan
The rally was the climax of a weeks-long campaign against the SIR, the Election Commission's door-to-door revision of voter lists. Opposition parties say the exercise has led to large-scale deletion of genuine voters, especially in states where they are strongest. A day earlier, on October 31, the alliance staged a symbolic "public impeachment" of the CEC at Kharge's residence, presided over by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, where a resolution listing charges against Kumar was adopted.
On Sunday, leaders travelled in open buses from Kharge's home to the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction and marched to the ground. Organisers had claimed up to 10 lakh people would turn up, while Delhi Police had planned for roughly 50,000. Thousands of workers from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal and other states arrived over the weekend.
What the leaders said
Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi said elections had been manipulated for years, naming the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and Assembly elections in states such as Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would not be where they are without the CEC's help, and said Kumar would face removal and jail. These are political allegations; they have not been established by any court or independent inquiry.
Mallikarjun Kharge
The Congress president alleged that BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh came to power on "stolen" mandates, and accused Modi and Shah of shielding the CEC. "Remove Modi to save democracy," he told the crowd.
Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said the people of West Bengal had become victims of the SIR and vowed to keep fighting. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav described the venue as the "Haldighati of democracy" and predicted the BJP would be voted out of Uttar Pradesh in 2027.
Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor, Randeep Surjewala and Abhishek Manu Singhvi also spoke, with Tharoor saying the CEC should step down because people had lost faith in him.
Key facts at a glance
| Event | INDIA bloc "Chalo Dilli" rally |
| Date | Sunday, November 1, 2026 |
| Venue | Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi |
| Main demand | Resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar |
| Core issue | Alleged voter deletions in the SIR of electoral rolls |
| Crowd estimate | Organisers: up to 10 lakh; Delhi Police: about 50,000 |
| Security | 4,000+ police plus CAPF companies, 14 zones, 200+ cameras and drones |
| BJP response | Called it "drama"; questioned timing on the 1984 riots anniversary |
How the BJP hit back
BJP leaders lined up to rubbish the event. Union minister JP Nadda called it an "orchestrated drama" by parties repeatedly rejected by voters. BJP MP Anurag Thakur said nothing would come of the protest and argued that if crores of names had really been wiped off the rolls, the country would have seen a massive uproar.
The party also questioned the date. November 1 marks the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and Delhi BJP chief Harsh Malhotra said holding the rally on this day was like "rubbing salt in the wounds of the Sikh community". Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri asked the Congress what it had done in 1984. Amit Shah, speaking separately, said the opposition would spend another five years on the opposition benches if it kept disrupting Parliament.
What it means for voters
For ordinary voters, the row is less about speeches and more about one practical question: is your name still on the electoral roll? The SIR is meant to clean up duplicate and dead entries, but the opposition argues that eligible voters are being dropped. Whatever side of the debate you are on, it is worth checking your entry on the Election Commission's voter portal and filing a claim with your Booth Level Officer if anything is wrong.
Delhi residents also felt the rally on the roads, with traffic restrictions across central Delhi from 10 am to 5 pm and diversions around ITO, Delhi Gate and Minto Road.
What happens next
The opposition has signalled that Sunday's rally is a beginning, not an end, and the SIR row is likely to stay at the centre of national politics in the weeks ahead, both on the streets and in Parliament. The Supreme Court has already been hearing matters linked to the revision exercise, including complaints over Form 7 objections in Uttar Pradesh, and its directions could shape how the Election Commission handles such grievances. With Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and other states due in 2027, both camps know the voter-list fight will have a long tail.
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