INDIA Bloc Holds ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ Rally: Rahul Gandhi Claims 13.5 Crore Voters Deleted, Warns CEC Gyanesh Kumar ‘Will Go to Jail’

November 1, 2026

New Delhi: The Congress-led INDIA bloc held a major rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Organised under the slogan ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’, the rally brought together several Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Opposition accused the Election Commission of facilitating large-scale voter deletions and undermining democratic institutions. The rally also triggered a separate political controversy over its timing on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticising the decision to hold the event on November 1.

Rahul Gandhi Claims 13.5 Crore Voters Deleted, Warns CEC

Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi alleged that 13.5 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls, accusing the BJP of manipulating the electoral process through electronic voting machines (EVMs) and changes to voter lists.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed that vote theft had taken place in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, as well as during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Gandhi said he would be removed from his position and face imprisonment.

“Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from the post of Chief Election Commissioner. Gyanesh Kumar will go to jail,” Gandhi said, warning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah that they would face consequences after Kumar.

“After Gyanesh, you are next,” he added.

Gandhi described the alleged manipulation of voter lists as a theft of citizens’ democratic rights and called it an act of betrayal against the country. He said the INDIA bloc would not allow democracy to be destroyed or the Constitution to be undermined.

He also criticised the concentration of wealth and power, arguing that democratic institutions belonged to the people and the country’s youth.

Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav Target Election Commission

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated the Opposition’s demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, accusing the Election Commission of failing to protect the integrity of electoral rolls.

Kharge called for the restoration of names allegedly removed from voter lists and demanded an end to the SIR exercise. The Opposition has also called for paper ballots to replace EVMs in future elections.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav described Ramlila Maidan as the “Haldighati of democracy” and accused the BJP of using the Election Commission to influence electoral outcomes. He also targeted the ruling party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav compared the alleged electoral manipulation to the Mahabharata’s game of dice, invoking Shakuni while criticising the ruling establishment.

Several other INDIA bloc leaders also raised concerns over the revision of electoral rolls, claiming that the exercise could deprive eligible citizens of their voting rights.

What Is the SIR Controversy? Election Commission’s Response and Next Steps

The controversy centres on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, an exercise aimed at updating electoral rolls and identifying duplicate, deceased, permanently shifted and otherwise ineligible entries.

According to the Commission’s figures, 13.39 crore electors were placed in the categories of Absent, Shifted Permanently, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) during the first three phases of the exercise. The breakdown included 6.30 crore people classified as permanently shifted, 3.01 crore marked absent or untraceable, 2.80 crore listed as deceased and 1.02 crore identified as duplicate entries. Another 26 lakh fell under other categories.

The Opposition has questioned the scale of these entries and alleged that eligible voters have been excluded. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the exercise is intended to clean up electoral rolls by removing ineligible and duplicate entries. It has said that eligible voters whose names are missing can apply for inclusion through the prescribed claims-and-objections process and Form 6.

The dispute has also moved beyond political rallies. On October 31, INDIA bloc parties held a symbolic mock parliament and adopted a resolution accusing the CEC of electoral manipulation and demanding his removal.

The Opposition’s three central demands include the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, a halt to the SIR exercise with the restoration of eligible voters’ names, and a return to paper ballots in future elections.

The revision process is also continuing in several states. The Election Commission recently extended SIR-related timelines in Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Nagaland. The final electoral rolls are now scheduled to be published on November 30 in five of these states, while Delhi’s final list is scheduled for December 22.

The extended timelines have given voters additional time to submit claims and objections. The next phase of the controversy is likely to centre on how these applications are handled, whether eligible voters are restored to the rolls and the publication of the final electoral lists.

The BJP has rejected the Opposition’s allegations, accusing INDIA bloc leaders of questioning the electoral process after political setbacks. The Election Commission has also denied political bias and maintained that its revision exercise is intended to ensure accurate voter lists.