NEW DELHI: Heavy security arrangements and extensive traffic diversions have been put in place across the national capital as the Opposition INDIA alliance and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepare to hold massive rival marches today. While the Opposition targets the Election Commission of India over alleged voter roll manipulations, the BJP is staging a counter-protest highlighting the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to attack the Congress.
The INDIA bloc’s “Chalo Delhi” march is set to terminate at the iconic Ramlila Maidan, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Top parliamentarians and leaders of the INDIA bloc will gather at the Constitution Club at 11:00 AM before commencing the march at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place intersection in central Delhi. Key opposition figures, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Hemant Soren, Revanth Reddy, Tejashwi Yadav, and Akhilesh Yadav, are expected to lead the demonstration. The protest follows a symbolic resolution moved by Mallikarjun Kharge accusing the CEC of orchestrating a conspiracy to influence elections, illegally purging 13.2 crore voters, modifying Form 6 without parliamentary oversight, and seizing control of voter data via ECINET.
The resolution further alleged that two sitting Election Commissioners were systematically excluded from critical institutional decisions, citing recent media investigative reports.
The BJP, however, dismissed the Opposition’s campaign as mere “political melodrama.”
Meanwhile, the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) confirmed it would abstain from joining the Opposition march. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Delhi to express gratitude for her support during their earlier protests at Jantar Mantar, but affirmed that his party would maintain an independent political identity and skip the Sunday rally.
“I met Didi to thank her for standing firmly with our youth movement when our members were detained by the Delhi Police,” Dipke clarified. To maintain law and order, nearly 10,000 security personnel—comprising the Delhi Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), CRPF, and the Rapid Action Force (RAF)—have been deployed across Central and New Delhi.
Over 4,000 personnel are guarding Ramlila Maidan and key access routes from Minto Bridge. Multi-layered barricading and strict access controls are active around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Bhagwan Das Road, the Supreme Court, and the Election Commission headquarters.
Traffic movement is being restricted and rerouted across major arteries in Central Delhi between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, with traffic authorities advising commuters to plan alternate routes.
“We have secured the entire perimeter with a network of 200 to 250 CCTV cameras. Security teams are coordinating directly with event organizers to prevent any untoward incidents,” stated senior police officer Rohit Rajbir.
Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal described the “Chalo Dilli, Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” rally as a crucial campaign to safeguard democracy and prevent electoral fraud.
“Over 13 crore voters have been arbitrarily deleted from electoral rolls across states,” Venugopal alleged, emphasizing that Rahul Gandhi’s persistent questioning is holding institutional authorities accountable. Concurrently, the BJP is spearheading a major rally in West Delhi to commemorate the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, condemning the Congress for hosting its political demonstration on the anniversary of the violent pogrom.
The BJP’s march will commence at 11:30 AM from the Hari Nagar bus depot and proceed towards the Tilak Nagar metro station. Senior leaders, including Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, H.S. Phoolka, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, and MP Bansuri Swaraj, are slated to participate.
Prior to the march, BJP MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney will address a joint press conference with riot survivors at Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Sahib, with numerous victim families expected to join the demonstration.
Adding to the friction, local merchant associations in the capital have voiced strong discontent over the rallies. Traders expressed deep concern that road blockades and severe traffic congestion during the peak pre-Diwali festive shopping window would severely impact retail business.
Vinay Narang, President of the Automotive Parts Merchant Association, stated that while traders respect democratic rights, the choice of venue and timing was flawed. “We remain non-political and support democratic rights, but blocking commercial hubs during peak festive trade is severely detrimental to local businesses,” Narang asserted.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com