INDIA bloc supporters gathered at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday for the 'Chalo Dilli' protest. They marched to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities. Many party workers arrived from across the country, as leaders led the crowd to voice their concerns against officials.

Opposition mobilises workers from across the country to protest electoral irregularities and demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar

Supporters of various INDIA bloc parties gathered at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday for the Opposition alliance's 'Chalo Dilli' protest against alleged electoral irregularities and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Senior leaders, including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja and CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, assembled at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence before proceeding towards the protest venue.

The leaders travelled in an open bus to Minto Road, from where the march to Ramlila Maidan was scheduled to begin around noon.

The crowd at the venue grew through the morning as party workers, supporters and members of youth and student organisations arrived from different parts of the country. Protesters held placards and raised slogans against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demanding Kumar's resignation.

Several supporters reached the capital on Sunday morning, while others had arrived a day earlier as Opposition parties mobilised their cadres from across the country.

Ahead of the protest, Rahul Gandhi urged people travelling to Delhi to support local businesses by shopping from small traders in the run-up to Diwali, Chhath and Bhai Dooj. In a video message posted on X on Saturday, he said the rally would not hurt businesses and encouraged participants to combine their protest with shopping.

.'Chalo Delhi' march LIVE: BJP forcing traders to close their shops, Rahul claims. The Ramlila Maidan venue has been prepared with a large tricolour canopy over the main stage for senior Opposition leaders and a second stage for representatives of state units. Organisers have installed barricades, temporary platforms and separate entry gates and enclosures for different categories of attendees.

Volunteers have been tasked with managing crowds, arranging drinking water and separate toilets for women, and coordinating parking with traffic police. Overnight stays at the venue are not permitted.

The INDIA bloc has estimated that up to 10 lakh people could attend the mobilisation, while Delhi Police expects around 50,000. Ramlila Maidan can accommodate 45,000 to 50,000 people when empty, but its effective capacity is expected to fall to 30,000-40,000 with chairs, enclosures and designated passageways in place. Additional space outside the ground has been earmarked for crowds.

More than 4,000 police personnel, along with companies of the Central Armed Police Forces, have been deployed along the march route and at the venue. The ground has been divided into 14 security zones, each supervised by an assistant commissioner-rank officer. More than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body-worn cameras will be used for surveillance.

The INDIA bloc has appealed to students, young people, women, workers and civil society members to join the protest. The Cockroach Janta Party and student organisations have also extended support to the mobilisation.

The rally follows a symbolic 'public impeachment' of Kumar organised by the Opposition at Kharge's residence on Saturday. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, during which Kharge moved a resolution listing the Opposition's allegations against the chief election commissioner. Rahul Gandhi delivered the concluding remarks before the resolution was adopted.

The Opposition has accused the Election Commission of large-scale deletion of voters' names during the SIR exercise, describing it as 'vote chori'. The Election Commission's role in the revision process has become a major point of contention between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties.

.Stage set for INDIA bloc's mega rally at Ramlila Maidan; leaders, supporters begin arriving in Delhi. Join our official telegram channel ( @nationalherald ) and stay updated with the latest headlines