NEW DELHI: INDIA bloc workers, supporters, and civil society members gathered in large numbers at Ramlila Maidan and on surrounding roads on Sunday, despite the ground remaining muddy after weekend rain. Ahead of the Opposition alliance’s ‘Chalo Dilli’ protest, party workers assembled in different parts of Delhi.
Congress workers gathered outside Himachal Bhawan before proceeding to the venue, while Samajwadi Party supporters assembled outside Akhilesh Yadav’s residence. Left party supporters and student organisations also joined the mobilisation. Several groups travelled from neighbouring states and other parts of the country.
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee were among those in the first bus. As it reached the DDU intersection, waiting supporters chanted their names. Rahul, standing at the front, responded with a wave. Supporters walked alongside the vehicles, turning the route into a moving procession.
The procession also included Tejashwi Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and other Opposition leaders. Congress flags appeared alongside those of regional parties. Placards bearing messages against the Election Commission and demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation were visible. The Indian Youth Congress displayed long voter lists that it alleged contained names of eligible voters deleted during the SIR. It claimed voters from minority, OBC, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities had been affected.
At Ramlila Maidan, supporters continued to arrive as the procession approached. They carried flags and placards, raised slogans against the SIR exercise and demanded Kumar’s resignation. A tricolour canopy covered the main stage, while a separate stage was arranged for representatives of the alliance’s state units.