INDIA Bloc Stages Ramlila Maidan Rally Demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Removal

Leaders of the INDIA bloc and thousands of supporters converged at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November 2026 for a rally under the slogan Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao. The gathering followed a symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar the previous day and a march from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction. Participants demanded Kumar's removal, alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls that the Opposition claims deleted roughly 13 crore names.

Rahul Gandhi told the crowd that the 2024 Lok Sabha election was illegal and stolen because of those deletions. He said legal action would follow against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Kumar himself. Mallikarjun Kharge declared the alliance would continue fighting until Kumar left office. Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav also addressed the stage, framing the exercise as an attempt to alter the composition of the electorate ahead of future polls.

The BJP described the event as a designed drama and questioned turnout figures. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier noted traders' requests to delay the rally past Diwali. Delhi Police deployed several thousand personnel; traffic restrictions ran from morning into evening. Counter-marches by BJP supporters focused on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots anniversary took place separately in West Delhi.

The Special Intensive Revision has been under way in multiple states. The Election Commission has defended the process as a routine update of rolls to remove duplicates, deceased voters and ineligible entries. Opposition parties argue the scale of deletions, concentrated in certain demographics, points to selective targeting. No independent audit of the 13-crore figure has been released; the number originates from Opposition calculations based on earlier published rolls.

The rally marks the largest joint street mobilisation by the INDIA bloc since the 2024 elections. Its immediate effect is political: it keeps the voter-list issue in national conversation as several states prepare for assembly polls. Whether the demand for Kumar's removal gains formal traction depends on parliamentary numbers and any court challenges. The Election Commission has not issued a public response to the day's speeches.

Organisers claimed attendance above one lakh; independent estimates varied. Flags of Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and Left parties filled the ground. Speakers repeated the charge that the revision disproportionately affected women, youth and Dalit voters. The day closed with calls for ballot-paper elections and greater transparency in roll management. The next test for the alliance will be whether the mobilisation translates into sustained pressure or fades after the event.