New Delhi, October 12: The opposition INDIA bloc will march from India Gate to the Supreme Court on Monday in what it is calling a “March for Democracy”, pressing allegations of large-scale manipulation of the electoral rolls — or “vote chori” — and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The march is being led by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
At the heart of the opposition’s case is Election Commission data cited in news reports, which shows that around 130 million names have been deleted from the electoral rolls during the verification exercise — including 63 million voters marked as relocated and 30 million listed as untraceable. The opposition has argued that Muslim voters and other minorities have been disproportionately struck off the rolls. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied any manipulation, describing the exercise as a routine integrity cleanup.
Gandhi issued a call on Sunday for broad participation in the march. “12th October, India marches peacefully as one to the Supreme Court. Students, civil society organisations, Opposition parties: Please join us to defend our democracy,” he said, alleging violence by Delhi Police and BJP workers against students and women during the youth-led protest last week.
But a proposed meeting between the opposition delegation and the Chief Justice of India will not take place. Chief Justice Surya Kant declined the INDIA bloc’s request for a 4–5 pm meeting on Monday to submit a memorandum on the alleged poll irregularities, saying the matter was sub judice and that the delegation should file a petition instead. Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said the bloc respected the decision but would go ahead with the march.
Central Delhi was under heavy security on Monday morning. Delhi Police personnel, backed by the Rapid Action Force and CRPF, were deployed with barricades at multiple points along and around the protest route, and a tight cordon was in place near key intersections.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation shut entry and exit gates — keeping interchanges open — at six stations: Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat and Barakhamba Road, from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm on October 12 at the request of Delhi Police. Traffic diversions were in force near ITO and other stretches of central Delhi.
The march follows a tense weekend. On October 10, youth-led protests organised by the Cockroach Janta Party demanded the CEC’s resignation; police detained more than 2,000 people and locked down parts of central Delhi. On Sunday, the Supreme Court held a special hearing directing the authorities to ensure detentions followed legal procedures, keep metro and railway services normal, and review barricades in the city.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and two of the party’s leaders, detained on their arrival in Delhi on October 10, were released on October 11 on the condition that they cause no breach of peace for a year; activist Dhruv Rathee was also released after detention. A UN body called for respect for peaceful assembly, while India’s foreign ministry dismissed the statement as “selective” and “unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of India.”
