New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI): Leaders and workers of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on Sunday held a march from Surjeet Bhawan to Ramlila Maidan to join the INDIA bloc’s mega rally against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to ANI, CPI(M) state secretary Sanjay Chauhan said that a large number of people had gathered at Ramlila Maidan to participate in the rally, alleging that the Modi-led government was manipulating the electoral process and demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
“A massive rally is taking place today at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. As you can see, hundreds of thousands of people are participating. For some time now, the Modi-Shah government has been orchestrating the theft of votes by manipulating Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. A significant movement has been underway for quite a while, and it is in the context of this movement that this massive rally is being held today,” Chauhan said.
He demanded the removal of Gyanesh Kumar and initiation of legal proceedings against him, while also calling for the scrapping of the electoral roll revision process and restoration of the names of more than 13.5 crore people allegedly deleted from the voter lists.
“The message is clear: Gyanesh Kumar, who is complicit in this vote theft, must be dismissed, and legal proceedings should be initiated against him. Furthermore, the undemocratic and unconstitutional process must be immediately scrapped, and the votes of the more than 135 million (13.5 crore) people that were deleted must be restored,” he said.
Chauhan further called for amendments to the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners, citing questions allegedly raised by the other two Election Commissioners over the actions of the CEC. He also demanded electoral reforms, alleging that elections were being won through money and power.
He said the INDIA bloc’s rally represented a wider movement involving opposition parties and organisations seeking to raise concerns over the electoral process.
“The CPI(M) is playing a major role in this. People have travelled thousands of kilometres from Himachal Pradesh to be here today. The message to the Modi-Shah government is this: if you do not dismiss the ‘vote-thief’ Gyanesh Kumar, this movement will only continue to grow. This movement will not be confined to Ramlila Maidan; it will spread across the entire country,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with India’s freedom struggle, Chauhan said the movement was aimed at protecting democracy and the Constitution, alleging that any attempt to undermine people’s voting rights would lead to wider protests across the country.
He further said that the CPI(M) would continue to lead the movement and appealed to political parties outside the BJP, intellectuals, educated citizens and others concerned about democracy and the Constitution to join the campaign.
“This movement will continue until Gyanesh Kumar is removed from his position,” he said.
Earlier in the day, student activists affiliated with the SFI gathered at Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan to begin their march towards Ramlila Maidan ahead of the INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Delhi’ demonstration.
The student march formed part of wider mobilisations across the national capital by constituent organisations, mass organisations and student-youth wings in support of the opposition alliance’s joint rally.
Meanwhile, the national capital remains under heavy security on Sunday as the Congress-led INDIA bloc held its rally at Ramlila Maidan, while the BJP organised a counter-march in West Delhi.
Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel, including Delhi Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), CRPF and Rapid Action Force (RAF), were deployed across Central and New Delhi to manage the two political events.
More than 4,000 personnel were stationed around Ramlila Maidan, along the route from Minto Bridge to the rally venue and in surrounding areas. Heavy security arrangements and multi-layered barricading were also put in place around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Bhagwan Das Road and areas near the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India office.
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was imposed in sensitive areas to prevent large unauthorised gatherings. Security agencies also used CCTV cameras, AI-enabled facial recognition systems and drones to monitor crowd movement.
The INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally at Ramlila Maidan was scheduled to begin at 11 am, with MPs assembling at the Constitution Club before proceeding towards the venue from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction at noon.
Top Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Hemant Soren, Revanth Reddy, Tejashwi Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, were expected to attend the rally. (ANI)
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