Thousands of opposition supporters gathered in New Delhi on Sunday for the INDIA bloc's 'Chalo Dilli' rally at Ramlila Maidan, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial revision of the voter lists.

Senior opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, gathered at Mr. Kharge's residence before travelling in an open bus to Minto Road. From there, supporters marched about 1.5 kilometres to Ramlila Maidan, where the rally was held under the slogan 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao'.

What the protesters are demanding

The opposition alleges that the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has wrongly removed eligible voters and benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reports say the revision has removed more than 130 million names from draft rolls. The Election Commission says the aim of the exercise is to update voter lists and remove duplicate and ineligible voters, and both the Commission and the BJP reject the allegation that it favours the ruling party.

Speaking at the rally, Mr. Gandhi said Mr. Kumar would have to vacate his post, and that his removal would be the first step towards bringing the country 'back on the right track'. A day earlier, INDIA bloc leaders and MPs had held what they described as a symbolic 'public impeachment' of Mr. Kumar at Mr. Kharge's residence, passing a resolution accusing him of deleting votes.

Security and turnout

Authorities tightened security across central Delhi ahead of the march, warning of traffic diversions. Hundreds of security personnel, some carrying batons and shields and accompanied by riot-control vehicles, were deployed around Ramlila Maidan as supporters carrying placards and party flags began arriving in the morning. The crowd at the venue swelled around noon as the march reached the ground.

Estimates of the turnout differed sharply. The INDIA bloc said it expected up to 10 lakh people, while Delhi Police expected around 50,000. The rally had permission to run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., though police said organisers had not sought permission for the march itself, even as officers coordinated arrangements along its route.

A month of protests

Sunday's rally was the latest in more than a month of near-daily opposition demonstrations that began in late September, after The Indian Express reported that Mr. Kumar's two deputies had raised concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems. Opposition parties, student organisations and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have joined the protests since then.

On Saturday, Mr. Gandhi had urged people travelling to Delhi for the protest to also shop from local traders ahead of Diwali, Chhath and Bhai Dooj, saying the programme would not hurt businesses. For the opposition, Sunday's show of strength was aimed at turning a dispute over voter lists into a question about the fairness of elections themselves. The standoff looks set to continue.