The INDIA bloc held a mass rally against “vote chori”, or vote theft, at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi today. Opposition leaders, led by the Congress, demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The rally moves a long running dispute over voter rolls onto the streets of the capital. It also tests whether the opposition can stay united on a single issue.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced the mega rally after an INDIA bloc meeting on September 30. Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee backed it on October 29, 2026. “The fight against Vote Chori is a fight to protect every Indian’s right to choose,” she said.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, called the rally a defence of voting rights. In his public call to join the march, he said, “Save the Vote, Save the Country.“
The BJP took a different view. It asked the Congress to postpone the rally, arguing that its date matches the anniversary of the 1984 anti Sikh riots. Rahul Gandhi responded sarcastically, thanking the BJP for promoting the rally. So whether a protest is pro democracy or anti national is a matter of political judgment.
How did the vote chori march build up?
| Date | Event |
| August 11, 2025 | INDIA bloc MPs marched towards the EC office and were stopped at police barricades |
| August 17, 2025 | The CEC rejected the vote chori charge at a press conference |
| October 12, 2026 | The bloc marched towards the Supreme Court |
| October 22, 2026 | A planned virtual meeting on the protest roadmap was deferred |
| October 31, 2026 | The bloc held a public impeachment programme against the CEC |
| November 1, 2026 | Mega rally at Ramlila Maidan |
Is vote chori a documented fact or a political slogan?
Vote chori is an allegation, not a finding. The opposition says voter rolls were altered during the Special Intensive Revision. The Election Commission rejects that claim. The reports reviewed do not show any court order or EC finding that confirms organised vote theft.
The opposition has highlighted individual voter list cases at rallies. Those cases have not been independently verified.
Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner of India, rejected the charge at a press conference on August 17, 2025. “Neither the EC nor the voters are scared of such baseless allegations,” he said. The Election Commission has said some entries had zero house numbers and that duplicate entries did not prove fraud.
How is the EC defending itself?
Congress says the poll body has lost its independence and is working with the BJP. The EC says its process is transparent and open to all parties.
The CEC has also challenged critics to back their claims. In August 2025, he gave Rahul Gandhi seven days to file a sworn affidavit or apologise. Rahul Gandhi publicly rejected the demand. He questioned why a separate affidavit was necessary, stating that he had already taken an oath as a Member of Parliament.
Gandhi also questioned the ECI’s neutrality, asking why the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was never required to file sworn affidavits when they raised claims of voter fraud.
What is the SIR and how does it differ from routine summary revision?
Electoral rolls are the official lists of eligible voters. Routine summary revision updates these lists through a regular cycle of additions, deletions and corrections. The Election Commission says the Special Intensive Revision goes further. It gives every voter an enumeration form. The commission describes this as an attempt to purify the rolls.
| Feature | Routine summary revision | Special Intensive Revision |
| Purpose | Regular updates to the voter list | Intensive cleaning of the voter list, according to the EC |
| Voter contact | Standard claims and objections process | Enumeration form given to each voter |
| Recent use | Part of the regular cycle | Conducted in Bihar in 2025 and in other states |
Who funds large scale mobilisation, and how transparent is it?
The rally took place at Ramlila Maidan, where standard booking fees for the venue are set by local authorities at ₹1.21 lakh per day (inclusive of security deposit and taxes). But there is no official breakdown of the rally’s cost or funding. But it is assumed that it must be funded collectively by the constituent political parties of the alliance.
Under the Representation of the People Act, political parties must report donations above Rs 20,000 to the Election Commission. Parties need not name donors who give less than that amount. The Supreme Court struck down the electoral bonds scheme in February 2024.
Will the INDIA bloc approach the Chief Justice of India next?
The bloc has said it will seek the Chief Justice of India’s intervention. Some reports say that the delegation would submit a memorandum to the CJI. Removing a Chief Election Commissioner requires a parliamentary process, similar to the one for a Supreme Court judge. A Daily Pioneer report named Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bengaluru as possible cities for further rallies. However this has not been officially confirmed.