New Delhi, 01 November (H.S.): Opposition leaders on Sunday demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the INDIA bloc’s ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused Kumar of facilitating alleged “vote theft” and claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha election was illegitimate, alleging that voters’ names had been deleted from electoral rolls. Gandhi said removing Gyanesh Kumar from office was the first step towards putting the country back on the right path.

Ahead of the rally, leaders and workers of opposition parties took out a march from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan. Those participating included Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, among several other senior opposition leaders.

The leaders arrived at the venue in an open vehicle and were welcomed at Ramlila Maidan before addressing the gathering from the stage. Neha Bora of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) also addressed the rally. Following speeches by Kharge, Yadav, Abdullah, Banerjee and Mufti, Rahul Gandhi took the stage.

Gandhi asserted that Gyanesh Kumar would be removed from the post of Chief Election Commissioner and would have to face imprisonment. He described the alleged electoral malpractice as more than ordinary theft, calling it the theft of every citizen’s vote and voice. He alleged that irregularities in the electoral process had undermined democracy and voters’ rights.

Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not leave office, Gandhi said legal action would also be taken against those responsible. He maintained that the Opposition did not believe in violence or hatred and sought instead to promote love and fraternity in the country.

Gandhi said every Indian’s voice mattered to the Opposition and described the protest as a call to safeguard the country’s democracy. He alleged that constitutional institutions were being taken over, with consequences for farmers, young people and ordinary citizens. He said farmers should receive the rewards of their hard work, while students who devoted 18 hours a day to their studies should be able to secure meaningful outcomes in the form of education and employment.

Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of influencing the electoral process. He alleged that the two leaders were attempting to shield Gyanesh Kumar. Kharge claimed that governments in Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had not been chosen by the people but had been formed through alleged electoral irregularities. He said removing Modi from office was necessary to save democracy and urged party workers to continue their struggle.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav described Ramlila Maidan as the ‘Haldighati of democracy’ on the day. Referring to Uttar Pradesh, he said those who had come to power there would eventually have to leave. He claimed that the BJP and its allies would face such a decisive departure from power in 2027 that they would not return to office.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that while the Ramayana was usually staged at Ramlila Maidan, the venue had become the setting for a ‘Mahabharata’ against alleged vote theft. He described Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a puppet of the Prime Minister.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti warned that democracy and the Constitution would be weakened if people failed to remain vigilant. She called upon citizens to unite and continue the struggle.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged that the names of around 13 crore people had been removed from electoral rolls. He said public confidence in the Chief Election Commissioner had eroded and stressed that every citizen’s right to vote must be protected. Congress leader Kumari Selja said opposition parties and their supporters had resolved to remove the government from power.

At the rally, the Opposition raised three key demands: the resignation or removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, and the replacement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with ballot papers in elections.

Congress workers who travelled from Karnataka brought along copies of electoral rolls stretching several metres. They claimed that the names displayed in the documents had been deleted from the voter lists during the SIR exercise.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar