INDIA Bloc March: Why Are 21 Opposition Parties Protesting in Delhi? What Is Rahul Gandhi Demanding?

The INDIA bloc's 'Chalo Delhi' march will begin at 12 noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction and proceed towards Ramlila Maidan via Ajmeri Gate. The rally at Ramlila Maidan is scheduled between 10 am and 5 pm. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has appealed to people to join the rally in large numbers.

How Many Parties from the INDIA Bloc Will Participate?

A total of 21 major opposition parties from the INDIA bloc are coming together for the 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

These include the Indian National Congress (INC), Samajwadi Party (SP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Nationalist Congress Party–Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP), Shiv Sena–Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (SS-UBT), Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M], among others.

In addition, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and several student organisations have extended their support to the movement. However, CJP has clarified that it will not participate in the Ramlila Maidan rally.

What Is the Reason Behind the Protest?

The main reason behind the INDIA bloc's protest and the 'Chalo Delhi' march is the opposition's dissatisfaction with the functioning of the Election Commission. Opposition parties have accused the poll body of bias and are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

As part of the protest, a day before the rally, on October 31, opposition leaders organised a symbolic 'Jan-Mahabhiyog' (Public Impeachment) programme against the CEC at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence. During the event, a resolution containing several allegations against him was presented.

Opposition Raises Serious Allegations Over SIR Process

The opposition has also been consistently protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission.

The opposition claims that around 13.2 crore voters' names have been deleted from electoral rolls during this process. Opposition leaders have described the alleged deletions as 'vote theft' and an attack on democracy. They are demanding an immediate halt to the SIR process and an investigation into the alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls.