INDIA Bloc Holds Mega Rally in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi Targets EC, Modi and Shah Over Alleged Vote Theft

Opposition unity was on full display at the INDIA bloc’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ (Save Vote, Save Nation) rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, as senior leaders from 20 opposition parties shared the stage. Large numbers of people from across the country attended the rally. Alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, vote theft, and the protection of democracy and the Constitution were the key issues raised at the gathering.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying he would be removed from office and sent to jail. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of vote theft, asserting that the opposition would seek legal action against them after pursuing the case against the Chief Election Commissioner.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut were among the prominent leaders who attended the rally.

March from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan

Before the rally, INDIA bloc leaders took out a march from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan. The march took nearly three hours to reach the venue due to the large turnout. Thousands of people gathered not only at Ramlila Maidan but also along roads stretching several kilometres around the venue. Many people who could not enter the ground listened to the speeches from outside.

Amid slogans of ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod’ (Vote Thieves, Quit Power), Rahul Gandhi said the rally represented not the voice of any single political party but that of the people of India. He said the people would not allow democracy and the Constitution to be undermined. Alleging that vote theft had been taking place in the country for several years, he said the opposition was taking up the issue before the public.

Questions on Deletion of Over 130 Million Voters

Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Rahul Gandhi claimed that more than 130 million names had been deleted from voter lists after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. According to him, this meant that nearly one in every seven voters had been removed from the electoral rolls.

He said the vote-share difference between the NDA and the INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was around three percentage points, while the Election Commission had subsequently removed nearly 15 per cent of voters from the electoral rolls. Citing these figures, Gandhi questioned the legitimacy of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

He also alleged irregularities involving electronic voting machines (EVMs) and electoral rolls in the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, apart from the Lok Sabha elections.

Rahul Gandhi Targets Modi and Shah Over Alleged Vote Theft

Responding to remarks by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi said Narendra Modi could not simply walk away and that the opposition would not let him escape accountability. He accused Modi and Shah of vote theft and alleged that national assets had been sold to industrialist Gautam Adani. He said the country would seek answers and justice from them on these issues.

Gandhi also accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of capturing the country's institutions. He said this alleged control over institutions was affecting farmers, young people and workers, who were being denied their rights, employment opportunities and justice, respectively.

He further alleged that the country's wealth was increasingly passing into the hands of industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.

Kharge Says Those Involved in Vote Theft Will Not Escape

Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of appointing Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner and using the electoral machinery to facilitate the deletion of voters' names.

Kharge alleged that Modi was trying to protect Kumar but would not succeed. He said the INDIA bloc would find him wherever he tried to hide and bring him out.

Accusing the Prime Minister of choosing his voters rather than being chosen by the people, Kharge alleged that BJP governments in several states were in power through vote theft. He asked the gathering whether they were ready to fight against those involved in electoral malpractice and remove them from power.

Kharge said the struggle was about protecting India's democracy and Constitution. He argued that democracy could be safeguarded only when the present government was removed from power.

Leaders of 20 Parties Showcase Opposition Unity

Besides senior Congress leaders, the rally was attended by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Kerala Assembly Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan. Leaders from the DMK, Left parties and several other opposition parties also participated.

The presence of Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, CPI general secretary D. Raja and CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, among others, underscored the opposition's effort to present a united front.

The opposition leaders called for transparency in electoral rolls, greater accountability in the electoral process and the protection of the independence of democratic institutions.