INDIA Bloc takes Anti-SIR campaign to Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan

The INDIA bloc held a massive rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, 1 November, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The rally was organised over allegations that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had led to the removal of names of thousands of eligible citizens across the country. The Opposition claims that this has put the voting rights of ordinary people at risk. Raising the slogan ‘Save the Vote, Save the Nation’, thousands gathered at Ramlila Maidan to protest against the alleged deletions.

Leaders and workers from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and Left parties participated in the rally, alongside representatives of various student organisations and civil society groups. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, among other Opposition leaders, travelled to the venue in an open bus. They began their journey from the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. They later joined a procession from the Minto Road–Connaught Place crossing before reaching Ramlila Maidan.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu were also present at the rally. Opposition leaders argued that elections are not merely a process of forming a government but a constitutional right of every citizen. They maintained that if this right is put at risk, the very foundations of democracy could be weakened.

One of the key demands at the rally was the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. The Opposition alleged that the Election Commission was failing to discharge its responsibilities as an independent constitutional body. It also claimed that political motives were behind the removal of a large number of names from electoral rolls in the name of revision. According to the Opposition, the Election Commission's role was linked to a process that could result in nearly 13 crore names being removed from voter lists. However, this figure represents the Opposition's allegation and is not an independently established final count.

The rally also featured symbolic forms of protest. The indelible ink applied to voters' fingers after they cast their ballots was used as a symbol of resistance. Several protesters carried replicas of severed fingers to the gathering. Their central message was that removing people's names from electoral rolls effectively deprives them of their democratic rights. Without the right to vote, citizens are also denied the opportunity to participate fully in the political process.

A day before the rally, on 31 October, the INDIA bloc organised a symbolic 'people's impeachment' of Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence. A symbolic resolution was moved, modelled on the process of bringing an impeachment motion in Parliament. Kharge said that removing eligible Indian citizens from electoral rolls through SIR was unconstitutional and a serious offence. The Opposition further alleged that the Election Commission was working in the political interests of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The BJP, however, has consistently rejected these allegations.

An investigative report published by The Indian Express on 23 September claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to various SIR-related decisions on 14 occasions over the previous ten months. According to the report, they had expressed concerns that several important decisions were taken without their knowledge. The findings raised further questions about the Election Commission's internal decision-making process.

Security arrangements in Delhi were tightened ahead of Sunday's rally. According to media reports, around 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the city. Barricades were placed along several key roads, while drones were also used for surveillance. Meanwhile, the BJP organised a counter-rally in western Delhi to commemorate the 1984 anti-Sikh violence. The party raised questions about the Congress's alleged responsibility for the violence and the lack of justice for its victims.

The BJP, meanwhile, dismissed the Opposition's campaign as politically motivated. It argued that dragging a constitutional institution such as the Election Commission into political controversies was not in the interest of democracy. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision exercise is intended to remove errors, duplicate entries and ineligible names from electoral rolls. It has also stated that eligible citizens whose names are missing can apply for inclusion through the prescribed procedure.

The key question now is whether the Opposition's campaign will lead to any changes in the functioning of the Election Commission and how much political pressure the INDIA bloc can build on the government and the Commission in the days ahead.