Heavy security forces turned central Delhi into a fortress on Sunday as the opposition INDIA bloc led a massive rally demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over controversial electoral roll revisions.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters led by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi along with key allies and marched nearly 1.5 km to Ramlila Maidan. The opposition alleges that recent electoral roll revisions unlawfully removed over 130 million voters, disproportionately targeting minority communities to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Election Commission and the BJP denied the allegations, stating that voter roll updates followed due process to eliminate deceased or relocated individuals. Union Minister JP Nadda dismissed the opposition march as a "foolish, orchestrated drama" designed to create political anarchy. Meanwhile the BJP organized a counter-rally in West Delhi marking the 1984 anti-Sikh riots anniversary.
Authorities deployed nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel across central Delhi, setting up multi-layered barricades and monitoring the crowd with over 200 CCTV cameras. Traffic diversions caused widespread road closures also raising concerns among local traders about economic losses during the peak festive shopping season.
Despite the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party declining to join the joint opposition platform to maintain its independent identity also analysts view the widespread public anger over voter deletions as a significant political challenge for the Modi administration.
