New Delhi:
Thousands of people gathered in central Delhi on Monday as opposition leaders began their march to the Supreme Court to challenge Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of electoral irregularities. While the INDIA bloc leaders marched, their legal team filed a petition against the poll panel chief over alleged "vote chori" (vote theft).
The stretch between Connaught Place and Mandi House was packed with protesters, while security was tightened across the national capital. Opposition leaders converged near the Connaught Place-Barakhamba Road junction for the march, organised under the banner of the INDIA opposition alliance and named "Chalo Delhi - March for Democracy".
The protest marks an escalation in the opposition's campaign against the Election Commission of India (ECI), with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calling on Kumar to resign from his position. The opposition has said it intends to submit a petition to the Supreme Court on Monday, following an earlier communication with the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
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Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters earlier today, Rahul Gandhi said the opposition's fight would continue until the Election Commission's leadership changed, the Constitution was upheld and the electoral system was overhauled.
"Resign, turn approver; you (Kumar) have made a mistake but you are not the mind behind the mistake," he said, addressing the chief election commissioner.
He also claimed that Kumar was under pressure because of the allegations, saying, "We know Gyanesh Kumar is unable to sleep at night; I am telling him directly, 'you will not survive as CEC'."
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The Leader of Opposition urged citizens across political affiliations to support the march, arguing that the dispute concerned the future of democracy rather than the interests of any individual party or politician. In a message posted on X, Rahul Gandhi said the INDIA alliance had previously written to the Chief Justice of India, who had directed it to file a petition.
"We had written a letter to the CJI. He directed us to file a petition. Now, leaders of the INDIA alliance will march to the Supreme Court against 'vote theft' and file the petition," he said.
He appealed to citizens to join the march in person or express their support from wherever they were.
"In this fight to protect democracy and the Constitution, fellow citizens, let us march step in step with us. Reach Connaught Place and become part of this march. If you can't come, raise your voice from wherever you are!" he wrote, using the hashtag #ChaloDilli.
"We invite all Indians to support us," he added. "If people from the BJP also think that an attack is being made on the Constitution, then you come too. This is a fight to save the Constitution, a fight for your future."
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Gandhi said the opposition was engaged in several political battles simultaneously and sought to portray the dispute as a broader contest over public confidence in the government. He added that the opposition wanted to demonstrate that Indians would not be intimidated by political pressure.
"We want India to believe that India is not scared of anything. Forget Narendra Modi, India can never be scared of anyone," he said. "We are fighting multiple battles... We are winning on all fronts."
Rahul Gandhi said the opposition's campaign would not end with Monday's march, arguing that sustained public mobilisation would be necessary to protect democratic institutions. He said resistance to the Election Commission's actions had existed previously but had not resulted in protests on the streets on the present scale. The former Congress president urged people to remain patient and persistent, warning that political change and the protection of democratic institutions could not be achieved overnight.
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He described the protests as a "tandav", a term associated with the Hindu god Shiva, and said the movement was open to anyone willing to participate.
"This is like Shiva's dance and anyone can join Shiva's 'baraat' (wedding procession)," he said. "This fight is not going to stop. It will continue even if it takes days or years."
The Opposition's campaign against Gyanesh Kumar intensified after a report by The Indian Express said two election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had recorded objections at least 14 times over the preceding 10 months. According to the report, most of the objections concerned decisions and orders relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.