The opposition INDIA bloc is holding a major rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1, 2026, pressing for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls. Supporters from several states began arriving at the venue early in the morning, according to The Hindu, with "Chalo Delhi" posters put up outside the grounds and security personnel deployed ahead of the event.
The gathering follows a symbolic "public impeachment" of the CEC that the alliance conducted on Saturday, October 31. The bloc adopted a motion by a show of hands and levelled six charges against Kumar, including that he conspired with the ruling BJP to steal elections, that 13.2 crore voters were deleted through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, and that he acted at the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, The Hindu reports.
Why it matters
The rally is the alliance's most visible attempt yet to turn its dispute over the SIR exercise and the voter rolls into a national campaign. The BJP has rejected the allegations and mounted its own counter-programming the same day, signalling that both sides intend to contest the electoral machinery itself as a political issue. With the Trinamool Congress indicating the matter will be raised in Parliament, the standoff over the Election Commission appears set to carry into the Winter Session.
Leaders sharpen their attacks
Congress leader Pawan Khera described the eve of the rally as "the calm before the storm," saying the coming storm would sweep Gyanesh away and that Amit Shah and Narendra Modi would also not remain in their positions, according to The Hindu. Responding to BJP objections that the rally would hurt traders, Khera asked whether BJP rallies did not cause traders losses too, and cited a rally held by Nitin Nabin on a Wednesday when markets were open.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the "limits of injustice have been crossed." He alleged that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had admitted that 1.27 crore votes were reduced only after losing the MLC election, and said those who spoke of a "double-engine government" had become "double zero." Yadav also said lakhs of beneficiaries were claimed to be missing from voter lists and urged them to come to Ramlila Ground, calling the rally a movement against "injustice and false promises."
Trinamool Congress leader Sagarika Ghose said on Saturday that the voice raised at the rally would "resonate in Parliament." Referring to the symbolic impeachment, she said the government could "no longer protect" Kumar and must dismiss him. She also called for formal proceedings during the Winter Session to remove him "through due process" and for efforts to restore public trust in the electoral process.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, speaking in Bengaluru on Saturday, wished the Delhi march "great success." He said the right to vote is the right to live, that lakhs and lakhs of people had been deleted, and that it was the duty of all to protect every voter, claiming attempts were also made to delete lakhs of voters in Karnataka.
Mobilisation and counter-march
Party workers gathered at different locations across the capital before heading to the venue. Samajwadi Party workers assembled outside Akhilesh Yadav's residence, while groups of Congress supporters met outside Himachal Bhawan, The Hindu reports. Many supporters arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, while others had reached the city on Saturday or earlier as parties mobilised cadres from different states.
ThePrint reports that 10,000 personnel have been deployed and traffic curbs put in place ahead of the INDIA bloc rally and a BJP counter-march in West Delhi.
On the same day, BJP national president Nitin Nabin is set to lead a "Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao" march in Haryana's Rohtak, according to The Hindu. Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan will take part in a similar padyatra in Faridabad, beginning from B.K. Chowk at NIT. Nabin's march will start from Chhotu Ram Polytechnic Ground and end at D-Park in Model Town, where he will pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue, the BJP said in a statement. The party described the initiative as an ideological movement against what it calls the Opposition's "misinformation, propaganda and orchestrated chaos."
The next test is whether the alliance's show of strength at Ramlila Maidan translates into formal parliamentary action when the Winter Session convenes.
