Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi along with senior opposition leaders and MPs from the INDIA bloc during a protest march | Image: PTI
High political tension gripped New Delhi on Sunday, as thousands of protesters from across North India converged at Ramlila Maidan for the opposition INDIA bloc's 'Chalo Delhi' march.
Chanting slogans of "Vote chor, gaddi chhod", demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral process, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the continued use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Despite allegations by outstation workers that transit routes, particularly along the Punjab-Haryana border, were deliberately blocked by police, massive crowds poured into central Delhi for the protest.
Protesters arriving from Punjab reported heavy delays and route blockades along the Haryana border. Baljinder Singh, a protestor from Firozpur, alleged that thousands of vehicles remained stranded overnight due to barricading on the Punjab-Haryana corridor. "The BJP is scared of Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc. It has no option other than to make Gyanesh Kumar resign," he stated, claiming over 10 lakh people were mobilised for the rally.