Rahul Gandhi Leads Delhi Rally Against Alleged "Vote Chori".

INDIA bloc held a symbolic public impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar before Rahul Gandhi led the Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao rally in Delhi over voter list allegations.

INDIA Bloc Holds Public Protest Against Election Chief, Thousands Join Delhi Rally

The Opposition INDIA bloc held a symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on October 31, 2026. The leaders accused him of electoral irregularities and demanded his removal.

A day later, on November 1, Opposition leaders and supporters gathered at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi for the 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally. Led by Rahul Gandhi, the protest focused on alleged voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Opposition accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of working together to influence elections. However, these allegations have not been established as facts.

Opposition Holds Symbolic Public Impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar

On Saturday, October 31, the INDIA bloc organised a symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, while Mallikarjun Kharge moved a six-point resolution seeking the CEC's removal.

Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Opposition leaders and representatives also attended the event. The resolution was passed unanimously through a show of hands.

The Opposition described the event as a public impeachment. However, it was a symbolic political protest and not a formal constitutional removal process. Under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge.

Six Allegations Against the Chief Election Commissioner

The INDIA bloc's resolution made six major allegations against Gyanesh Kumar.

  1. Helping the BJP influence elections: The Opposition accused him of being part of an alleged conspiracy to manipulate national and state elections.
  2. Deleting 13.2 crore voters: It alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise led to the intentional removal of 13.2 crore voters from electoral rolls.
  3. Changing voter registration rules: The resolution accused him of changing Form 6, used for voter registration, without proper parliamentary oversight or approval.
  4. Using election software to control voter lists: The Opposition alleged that the Election Commission used its ECINET digital system to control electoral rolls and allow voter names to be added or deleted.
  5. Excluding other Election Commissioners: The resolution accused Gyanesh Kumar of keeping the other two Election Commissioners out of important decisions.
  6. Acting under political influence: The Opposition alleged that he acted at the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

These are allegations made by the Opposition. The resolution also described the alleged actions as treason against the country and the Constitution and demanded that Kumar face trial.

Rahul Gandhi and Opposition Leaders Join Delhi Rally

On Sunday, November 1, the INDIA bloc organised the 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.

Rahul Gandhi led the Opposition's mobilisation, joined by senior leaders from several political parties.

The leaders included:

  • Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge
  • Congress Leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
  • Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav
  • RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav
  • Trinamool Congress Leader Mamata Banerjee
  • TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee
  • Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren
  • Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy
  • National Conference Leader Farooq Abdullah
  • CPI(M) general secretary M. A. Baby
  • CPI general secretary D. Raja
  • CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya
  • PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti

Several other Opposition leaders and party workers also attended the rally.

Before the rally, leaders gathered at Mallikarjun Kharge's residence. They then travelled in open vehicles to the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction.

From there, the leaders proceeded towards Ramlila Maidan in an open vehicle as supporters marched alongside them. People carried party flags and banners and raised slogans against the BJP and the Election Commission. Protesters demanded Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

Protesters Raise Questions Over Voter Deletions

One of the main issues raised during the rally was the alleged deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls.

Protesters from Karnataka brought a long, rolled paper list containing names they said had been removed from voter lists. Media reports described the paper list as approximately one kilometre long. The Opposition argued that the removal of eligible voters could affect their right to participate in elections.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission to review and update electoral rolls. The Opposition has questioned how the exercise was conducted and raised concerns about eligible voters being removed.

The Election Commission's position is that the revision is intended to identify duplicate and ineligible entries. The Commission has also said that people whose names are wrongly removed can apply to be included again.

Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP of Shutting Shops in Connaught Place

Before the rally, Rahul Gandhi had appealed to people travelling to Delhi to support local traders by shopping in the city. However, while travelling towards the rally venue on November 1, he alleged that the BJP had forcibly shut shops in Connaught Place.

He said the closures were causing financial losses to local traders. The allegation came amid concerns raised by traders' organisations about possible business disruptions due to the rally and traffic restrictions during the festive shopping season.

Parts of Connaught Place had several shops closed and reduced customer activity. However, Rahul Gandhi's allegation that the BJP had ordered the closures was not independently established.

Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP of Vote Theft

Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of stealing votes and alleged that millions of eligible voters had been removed from electoral rolls. He also claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha election had been stolen and accused the Election Commission of helping the ruling party.

Rahul Gandhi warned that Gyanesh Kumar would eventually be removed from office. He also said the Opposition would pursue legal action against BJP leaders over alleged vote theft. The crowd responded with slogans and cheers.

Rahul Gandhi ended his address by saying: "This theft of votes is no ordinary theft. This is the theft of every voice of India."

The Opposition said it would continue its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities and demand accountability from the Election Commission.

How Many People Attended the Rally?

The expected crowd size became a point of discussion before the rally.

The INDIA bloc organisers projected that up to 10 lakh people could attend the event. Delhi Police estimated that around 50,000 people would participate and made security arrangements accordingly. The police deployed more than 4,000 personnel and arranged CCTV cameras, drones and other monitoring systems. 

The 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally marked another stage in the INDIA bloc's campaign against the SIR exercise and its allegations of electoral irregularities. The Opposition said it would continue to demand changes in the voter-list revision process and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

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