Addressing the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that elections had been manipulated in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, and claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were also affected by “vote chori”.
Rahul said the Opposition’s gathering was not merely a political show but a message from farmers, youth and ordinary citizens that they would not allow the Constitution to be weakened.
“People have sent a message to the country. This is not the voice of politicians or political leaders. This is the voice of farmers, youth, workers and ordinary people who are saying that we will not allow the Constitution to be destroyed,” he said.
Alleging manipulation through EVMs and additions and deletions in electoral rolls, Rahul claimed that 13.5 crore voters had been removed from the lists after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said this amounted to one in every seven voters, or 15 per cent of the electorate, being excluded.
Pointing to the difference between the NDA and the Opposition’s vote share in the 2024 election, which he put at around 3 per cent, Rahul questioned how such a large number of voters could subsequently be deleted.
He alleged that the scale of the deletions raised questions about the legitimacy of the 2024 election, adding that the Election Commission’s own figures showed the removal of 13.5 crore voters.
“I am saying from this stage that Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from the post of CEC and will go to jail in India,” Rahul said, accusing the Chief Election Commissioner of suppressing the voice of citizens. He argued that alleged vote theft was not an ordinary offence but amounted to taking away the voice and freedom of expression of every citizen.
Rahul also accused the RSS of capturing institutions, including the Health and Education sectors, the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI, bureaucracy and the police. He alleged that farmers were being denied their rights, young people were not getting jobs and wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few industrialists, naming Gautam Adani.
“We do not want a country that belongs to two or three people. We will not allow this to happen,” he said, adding that removing Gyanesh Kumar was the first step towards putting the country back on the right path.
Invoking the imagery of Lord Shiva’s procession and the Tandav, Rahul said he wanted a country where everyone had the opportunity to fulfil their aspirations, irrespective of their background, and where farmers could realise their dreams through their hard work.
Responding to Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not going anywhere, Rahul said: “I will tell you the opposite. Narendra Modi cannot go anywhere. We will not let him go.”
He said the Opposition would continue to hold the Prime Minister, Shah and the CEC accountable, alleging that legal action would follow over vote theft and the sale of the country’s assets to industrialists.
Drawing a distinction between the Opposition and the BJP leadership, Rahul said, “We do not hate Narendra Modi, Amit Shah or Gyanesh Kumar. We are people who run shops of love.”
He accused the BJP and the RSS of spreading hatred and said the crowd at Ramlila Maidan was demanding love, brotherhood and harmony.
“This protest includes everyone. These are the people of India, and this is their voice,” he said.
Modi, Shah, Gyanesh Kumar have attacked country’s soul: Rahul
November 1, 2026 4:32 pm
“First step to put country back on rails is to remove Gyanesh Kumar as CEC. We will take on PM Modi next,” says Rahul Gandhi at INDIA bloc rally in Delhi. “For me voice of every India is more important than even religion; we don’t promote violence and are not enemies of Modi, Shah.” Modi, Shah, Gyanesh Kumar have attacked country’s soul, Constitution, democracy; we’ll not accept this, Gandhi added.
Rahul alleges BJP forcibly shut shops in Connaught Place during INDIA bloc march
November 1, 2026 1:50 pm
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that shops in Connaught Place had been forcibly shut by the BJP as INDIA bloc leaders marched towards Ramlila Maidan. “We had appealed to those attending the rally to do their shopping here, so that the shopkeepers could benefit. But upon reaching Connaught Place, we learned that the BJP has forcibly shut down all the shops. The country is watching how the BJP is causing loss to the shopkeepers,” Rahul said in a video message from atop the bus carrying Opposition leaders to the INDIA bloc rally venue.
Foolish drama, will be final nail in coffin of Congress’ political future: Nadda on Sunday rally
November 1, 2026 1:27 pm
Union Minister JP Nadda on Sunday slammed the opposition INDIA bloc’s rally as a “foolish and designed drama” and said it will prove to be the final “nail in the coffin” of Congress’ “political downfall”. Nadda alleged that the protest was part of a well-thought-out conspiracy to surrender democracy to anarchy and disorder. In an apparent reference to the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Nadda claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s objective behind organising it on Sunday was to rub salt into the wounds of “Sikh brothers”.
Few shoppers in CP ahead of INDIA bloc march
November 1, 2026 1:13 pm
Only a handful of shoppers in Connaught Place as INDIA bloc prepares to march to Ramlila Maidan.
INDIA bloc leaders begin 4-km journey to Ramlila Maidan for ‘vote chori’ rally
November 1, 2026 12:41 pm
Open buses carrying Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and other INDIA bloc leaders have left 10 Rajaji Marg for Ramlila Maidan, where the Opposition is holding a rally against alleged voter deletions and electoral manipulation. The leaders will travel around 4 km towards Connaught Place before proceeding to Ramlila Maidan, where they are scheduled to address the gathering.
Opposition expects 10 lakh turnout for INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan
November 1, 2026 11:45 am
The INDIA bloc has said it expects a turnout of up to 10 lakh people, while Delhi Police expects around 50,000. Ramlila Maidan can accommodate 45,000 to 50,000 people when empty, but its capacity is estimated to come down to 30,000-40,000 with chairs, enclosures and designated passageways in place. Space outside the ground will be kept for crowd spillover. More than 4,000 police personnel, along with Central Armed Police Forces companies, are being deployed for security and crowd management along the march route and at the venue. The ground has been divided into 14 zones. More than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body-worn cameras will be used for surveillance.
Delhi Police put elaborate security arrangements in place for INDIA bloc rally
November 1, 2026 11:06 am
With the INDIA bloc rally expected to draw thousands of people to Ramlila Maidan, Delhi Police has put in place a multi-layered security arrangement, deploying over 4,000 personnel and installing more than 200 CCTV cameras to monitor the gathering. The venue has been divided into 14 zones. The security plan includes drone surveillance, body-worn cameras, anti-riot vehicles and a dedicated control room. Personnel from different districts and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed along the route from Minto Bridge as well as inside the venue.
Dipke backs INDIA bloc rally but skips march, meets Mamata Banerjee
November 1, 2026 10:48 am
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday met Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in Delhi, thanking her for supporting the outfit’s youth-led protests while extending solidarity with the INDIA bloc’s rally against alleged electoral irregularities. However, Dipke made it clear that CJP would maintain its independent identity and would not participate in Sunday’s opposition rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Supporters gather at Ramlila Maidan, across capital
November 1, 2026 10:48 am
Supporters of various INDIA bloc parties began gathering at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan early Sunday morning, while party workers assembled at different locations across the national capital ahead of the Opposition alliance’s ‘Chalo Dilli’ protest against alleged electoral irregularities and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Protest rally in Delhi for CEC resignation ‘warning’ to Modi, Shah: Venugopal
November 1, 2026 10:40 am
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday said the party’s protest rally against CEC Gyanesh Kumar to be held during the day at Ramlila grounds in the national capital was a “stern warning” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Venugopal told the media in Delhi that it will be a protest like never before and that it has affected the composure of the PM and Home Minister. “They have lost their composure seeing the magnitude of the public support for the protest. That is why they are making statements that the protestors are anarchists and the agitation was an insult to the Parliament. The protest is a stern warning to them,” the Congress leader said.
