Batman, Spider-Man, Class VI boy, 93-year-old, sadhu, farmer, all at INDIA's Delhi rally

Batman came, so did Spiderman. There was a two-year-old, dizzy at the prospect of seeing Rahul Gandhi, and a man of 93 summers from Bihar who had come to "save the Constitution".

Not to be left behind was Angulimal, the legendary dacoit who wore a garland of his victims' fingers before the Buddha's message changed his life. On Sunday, he sported a garland of plastic fingers -- symbolising fingers that will not be able to press the EVM button since their owners' names had been deleted from the rolls.

A long chain of people held up a cloth banner that was at least half a kilometre long and bore the names of 90 lakh deleted voters.

Young and old, farmer and sadhu -- enraged by the Ayodhya temple theft as much as the "vote chori" -- gathered at the INDIA bloc's Ramlila Ground rally on Sunday.

The two-year-old who had dragged his father to the rally to see Rahul broke into a sprint towards the entrance of the venue as the host announced that the leader of the Lok Sabha Opposition would address the gathering.

The boy ignored a question from this newspaper. His father said: "His priority now is to see Rahul Gandhi.... He will not listen to anyone now."

Jonathan, a Class VI student, had come with his mother, holding a placard that read: "Dear bhaiyas & didis, I can't vote yet, but this is my future too."

He told The Telegraph: "I think elections are a very important part of democracy, and those conducting them should be very fair and accountable to the people."

His mother expressed dismay at the deletion of 13 crore names from the electoral rolls.

"I am privileged because I have a voice, but then I should not just limit that to myself. I have come here to stand up for everyone who is facing injustice from this government," she said.

Ankur, a man in his mid-40s, wore a black-and-golden crown with two white horns sticking out of it. He referred to himself as "kaal" (fate or nemesis), come to punish those causing problems in the country, including vote theft.

He said this was what he had worn to a Halloween party on Friday. He had brought along his pre-teen school-going daughter, convinced that children should know what was going on in the country.

If some of the younger participants seemed to have come out of curiosity, the rally was serious business for Dhanush Yadav, 93, of Aurangabad, Bihar. He was part of a group of RJD supporters.

"I'm old but I won't rest. I have come to save the Constitution," he said.

Many had clearly put a lot of thought into how to present themselves and drive home their message. In this, the footprint of the June-July Cockroach Janta Party protest was evident, with many youngsters donning T-shirts inscribed with memes.

One tee had "Andhbhakt" (blind follower) emblazoned across it. Another protester displayed a soft toy monkey with "56 inch" written on it. Some carried Che Guevara banners, some held up placards saying "Vote chor, gaddi chhod" and "Vote bachao, desh bachao."

Many waited outside the ground to catch a glimpse of the INDIA bloc leaders as they arrived in two open-top buses from the Minto Road-Connaught Place crossing.

Several members of Congress student arm NSUI came dressed as Angulimal and demonstrated in the middle of the Minto Road-Ramlila Maidan stretch. Apart from their garlands of plastic fingers, they wore swords and cleavers made of cardboard, inscribed with "Gyanesh Kumar".

There was at least one participant in "cockroach" gear.

Sanjay, a man selling papad outside the Ramlila Maidan, had pasted posters condemning vote theft on his basket. He complained that his name had been deleted from the voter list.

"I'm from Sitamarhi in Bihar. My name has been deleted from the list. I don't know what to do now," he said.

"Namak chor, chini chor (salt and sugar thief)," cried Mohammad, a gram seller, when passersby chanted slogans against the BJP. He slammed the government for inflation that he said had made his life difficult.

Many senior citizens and women walked in small and large groups.

Banwari Lal, a 72-year-old farmer from Haryana, said no one could stop him from raising his voice against discrimination.

An 80-year-old retired teacher from Varanasi, Vidhya Dhar, said: "Age is just a number. I shall keep raising my voice as long as I am active."

People came from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand. They arrived on buses, trucks and trains waving party flags of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD and the Left.

Huge applause greeted Rahul and Mamata Banerjee as they began their speeches.

Many picked up Mamata's jibe at Gyanesh -- "Vanish, vanish, yes Papa" -- and kept repeating it.

A member of a group of sadhus from Ayodhya said: "Chanda chori aur vote chori, sabka hisab hoga (Temple donation theft and vote theft: all will be held accountable)."

Police detained several students on Minto Road as they marched towards Connaught Place.

Arpita Das, who works with a publishing house, posted on X: "The walk from CP to Ramlila Maidan via Minto Road was nothing short of electric today. In my life in Delhi, I have been part of many protest marches but this was unprecedented. It was joyous, carnivalesque, powerful, unforgettable. Gyanu, it's definitely over, bro!"

She signed off: "What a show of strength and unity I.N.D.I.A. bloc! Seriously impressed and inspired!''