Leaders and supporters of the opposition INDIA bloc gathered at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday for a major protest against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The opposition parties also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
 

The protest, organised under the banner of the ‘Chalo Delhi’ campaign, witnessed the participation of several prominent political leaders and party workers from different states. Supporters also gathered at various locations across the national capital ahead of the rally.
 

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja and CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya were among the senior leaders who assembled at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence.
 

The leaders subsequently left for Minto Road in an open bus before proceeding towards Ramlila Maidan for the demonstration.
 

By noon, the protest venue witnessed a significant increase in the number of participants, including supporters of INDIA bloc parties and members of their youth and student organisations. Protesters carrying placards raised slogans against the SIR exercise and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
 

Many participants arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, while several others had reached the national capital on Saturday or earlier as political parties mobilised their supporters from different states.
 

Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP of Forcing Shops to Shut in Connaught Place
 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of forcing shops in Connaught Place to close during the INDIA bloc leaders’ march towards Ramlila Maidan.
 

In a video message recorded from the roof of the bus carrying opposition leaders to the rally venue, Rahul Gandhi said the organisers had encouraged rally participants to shop in the area so that local traders could benefit from the gathering.
 

However, he alleged that upon reaching Connaught Place, they discovered that shops had been forcibly shut.
 

Rahul Gandhi said the public was witnessing how the BJP was causing financial losses to shopkeepers through such actions.
 

JP Nadda Calls INDIA Bloc Rally a Political Drama
 

Union Minister JP Nadda launched a sharp attack on the opposition rally, describing it as a planned and foolish political drama.
 

He claimed that the demonstration would mark the final stage of the Congress party’s political decline. Nadda also alleged that the protest was part of a deliberate attempt to push democracy towards disorder and instability.
 

Referring to the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Nadda accused Rahul Gandhi of organising the rally on Sunday with the intention of hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community.
 

INDIA Bloc Leaders Begin March Towards Ramlila Maidan
 

Open buses carrying Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and other INDIA bloc leaders departed for Ramlila Maidan.
 

The leaders were scheduled to cover a distance of approximately four kilometres via Connaught Place before reaching the rally venue, where they were to address the gathering.
 

The demonstration was organised to protest against alleged manipulation of elections and the removal of voters' names from electoral rolls.
 

Opposition Expects 10 Lakh Participants, Police Estimate Around 50,000
 

The INDIA bloc expressed expectations that up to 10 lakh people could attend the rally. However, Delhi Police estimated that around 50,000 participants would gather.
 

Ramlila Maidan can accommodate approximately 45,000 to 50,000 people when empty. However, the estimated capacity was expected to fall to 30,000–40,000 after arrangements for chairs, enclosures and designated movement routes.
 

Additional space outside the ground was also earmarked to manage the crowd.
 

More than 4,000 police personnel, along with companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), were deployed along the march route and around the rally venue. The ground was divided into 14 zones for security and crowd management.
 

More than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body-worn cameras were being used for surveillance.
 

Abhijit Dipke Supports Rally but Keeps Organisation Away from March
 

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke met Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Delhi on Saturday.
 

During the meeting, Dipke thanked Banerjee for supporting his organisation’s youth protests and expressed solidarity with the INDIA bloc’s demonstration against alleged electoral irregularities.
 

However, he clarified that the CJP would maintain its independent identity and would not participate in Sunday's opposition rally at Ramlila Maidan.
 

Around 10,000 Security Personnel Deployed Across Delhi
 

Extensive security arrangements were made across the national capital on Sunday as the Congress-led INDIA bloc organised its rally at Ramlila Maidan, while the BJP held a counter-march in West Delhi.
 

Around 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel, including Delhi Police, CAPF, CRPF and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, were deployed across Central and New Delhi to manage both political events.
 

More than 4,000 personnel were stationed around Ramlila Maidan, along the route from Minto Bridge to the protest venue and in surrounding areas.
 

Heavy security and multi-layer barricading were also put in place around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Bhagwan Das Road and areas near the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India office.
 

Rally Against CEC a Strong Warning to Modi and Shah: KC Venugopal
 

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal described the INDIA bloc's protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a strong warning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
 

Speaking to the media in Delhi, Venugopal said the demonstration would be unprecedented and claimed that the massive public response had unsettled the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.
 

He also criticised the government's alleged characterisation of protesters as anarchists and the demonstration as an insult to Parliament.
 

Venugopal reiterated that the rally was intended to oppose alleged electoral irregularities and press for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.