INDIA Bloc Rally at Ramlila Maidan Targets Election Commission and Prime Minister Over Vote Deletions

UPDATE - follow-up to 'Chalo Dilli' protests: Rahul Gandhi alleges 2024 election was 'stolen'; Mamata says Bengal will fight SIR: Rahul Gandhi assured legal action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the INDIA bloc's mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1, 2026. The Opposition alliance marched in an open bus to the venue to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities. Alliance leaders previously carried out a symbolic public impeachment of the CEC on October 31, leveling six charges including conspiring with the ruling BJP and deleting 13.2 crore voters through the special intensive revision of voter lists. During the event, Rahul Gandhi claimed that 15% of India's voters were removed from electoral rolls after the 2024 elections, alleging that votes were stolen in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka through EVM manipulation and voter list changes. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the alliance would not be intimidated by central agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that votes were also stolen during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of looting Bengal and pledged to fight the special intensive revision of rolls. Ruling party leaders strongly condemned the protest. Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that Delhi traders had repeatedly urged the Congress to postpone the November 1 rally until after Diwali due to festival-season business concerns. Union Minister JP Nadda decried the rally as foolish drama aimed at inciting unrest, while BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Rahul Gandhi lacks a public mandate. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused the opposition of spreading a fake narrative to defame the Prime Minister.

Context

Mass political rallies at Ramlila Maidan have long served as major platforms for opposition demonstrations against central government policies in India. Electoral rolls and the revision processes managed by the Election Commission are subject to strict regulatory frameworks governed by statutory laws. Political disputes over voter list revisions frequently arise during major electoral cycles as parties contest the inclusion and exclusion of voters.