The INDIA bloc on Sunday, November 1, intensified its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities, bringing several opposition leaders together at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan for a mega rally demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Under the slogan ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’, the gathering focused on allegations of voter-list manipulation, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and concerns over the independence of the Election Commission.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah were among those who addressed the gathering. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also joined the opposition’s campaign.

The rally marked another major political mobilisation by the INDIA bloc against what it describes as ‘vote chori’. Opposition parties have alleged that irregularities in electoral rolls and the ongoing SIR exercise could deprive eligible citizens of their voting rights.

Rahul Gandhi launched a strong attack on the BJP-led government and the Election Commission, accusing the ruling party of manipulating voter lists. He alleged that around 15% of voters had been removed from electoral rolls after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and questioned the circumstances surrounding the alleged deletions.

Targeting Gyanesh Kumar, Gandhi said the CEC would eventually be removed from office and face legal consequences. He accused the poll body of failing to protect democratic institutions and said the opposition would continue its fight to safeguard the Constitution and people’s voting rights.

Gandhi also warned the BJP that the opposition would pursue legal action over alleged electoral manipulation. He maintained that accountability was necessary to restore public confidence in the country’s democratic institutions.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed the concerns, accusing the BJP of weakening constitutional institutions. He alleged that the ruling party had secured power through a compromised electoral process and called for greater accountability in the conduct of elections.

Mamata Banerjee also used the platform to criticise the SIR exercise, alleging that it was being used to target opposition-ruled states, particularly West Bengal. She accused the BJP of attempting to influence elections through changes to voter lists and vowed to continue resisting the revision process. Taking a swipe at Gyanesh Kumar, she questioned his role and called on people across political affiliations to unite in defence of democracy.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav targeted the BJP over alleged vote theft, inflation, corruption and farmers’ income. He expressed confidence that the ruling party would face defeat in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, arguing that public concerns remained unresolved.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also repeated the opposition’s allegations, claiming that approximately 13.5 crore voters, representing around 15% of the electorate, had been removed from voter lists after the 2024 general elections. She argued that such alleged deletions raised serious questions about the fairness of the electoral process.

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge raised concerns over the procedures used for voter registration and objections to electoral entries. He questioned alleged changes to Form 6 procedures and the bulk distribution of Form 7, asking who had authorised such changes without parliamentary oversight. He demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, alleging that the Election Commission had failed to provide satisfactory answers.

The opposition’s campaign also follows its earlier attempt to initiate formal proceedings against the CEC. Notices seeking Gyanesh Kumar’s removal were submitted in Parliament in March, but were rejected by the presiding authorities in April. On October 31, INDIA bloc parties also organised a symbolic public impeachment proceeding in New Delhi to highlight their allegations against the CEC.

The rally, however, soon became the centre of a political dispute over attendance figures. Congress leaders had projected a turnout of around 10 lakh people at Ramlila Maidan. The BJP questioned the claim, with party spokesperson Sambit Patra alleging that nearly 40% of the venue remained vacant.

Patra said that out of approximately 28,000 chairs arranged at the ground, between 5,000 and 7,000 were unoccupied between 3.30 pm and 4 pm. He shared visuals from the gathering to challenge the Congress’s turnout projections.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also dismissed the rally as a failure, expressing confidence that the BJP would return to power in the state in 2027. Congress leaders, meanwhile, defended the gathering. Rahul Gandhi thanked supporters for what he described as a record turnout, while Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi called the rally successful. Shashi Tharoor also reiterated the demand for the CEC’s resignation, saying public confidence in him had been affected.

The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is aimed at ensuring accurate electoral rolls by identifying duplicate, ineligible and other questionable entries. The opposition, however, has questioned the transparency of the process and warned that genuine voters could be excluded.

With the INDIA bloc promising to continue its campaign, the controversy surrounding Gyanesh Kumar, voter-list revisions and the Election Commission is likely to remain a major political issue. The rally has also brought the opposition’s electoral reform campaign back into focus, setting the stage for another round of confrontation between the BJP and its political rivals.