NEW DELHI: Demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the INDIA bloc displayed a unified front at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground on Sunday. The joint show of strength stood in stark contrast to the coalition’s previous rally at the same venue in 2024, showing a clear shift towards a shared cause under the banner of “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” (Save Votes, Save the Country).
Except for Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who focused primarily on Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape, opposition leaders from across states aligned on common concerns surrounding the electoral roll revision.
A key highlight of the gathering was Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s warm gesture toward Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, whom she addressed as “My leader Sonia ji”. Banerjee also greeted CPI(M) leader MA Baby and acknowledged leaders from other Left parties. Terming West Bengal a “victim of the SIR,” she alleged that the state was looted in the 2026 Assembly polls, where the TMC contested without an alliance and suffered a defeat that ended its 15-year rule. “We will not leave, we will fight. We will save democracy,” Banerjee declared, calling for a united fight to defeat the BJP.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav noted that the bloc’s collective voice is making the BJP realize its own votes are being deleted. Citing the SP’s victory over the BJP in Varanasi in the recent MLC polls, Yadav added, “We INDI alliance people are not going to give up… I am happy that INDI bloc people are working together to save democracy”.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav framed the issue as a fight between the country’s “voters and cheaters”. Reminding the crowd that both the SIR initiative and the INDIA bloc originated in Bihar, he said, “We Biharis are not going to spare them. We will teach them a lesson”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge labeled the leaders on stage as “fighters” and dubbed the current BJP-led administrations at the Centre, Maharashtra, Bihar, and UP as “chori ke government”. While Kharge included UP-where Congress was not an SP ally in the 2022 elections-he omitted mentions of Delhi and West Bengal, where the BJP recently wrested power from AAP and TMC. “We will fight together, will remove Modi, save the constitution, strengthen democracy,” Kharge stated.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi emphasized that the movement does not belong to any single leader or party. Pointing to Banerjee’s remarks on vote-theft instances across Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi reiterated allegations of “vote chori” nationwide. Like Kharge, he did not touch upon Delhi, where the BJP defeated AAP last year.
A Shift from the 2024 Assembly Rally
The unity marked a distinct turn from March 31, 2024, when alliance partners gathered at Ramlila Ground before the general elections. Though framed then as a rally to save the Constitution, leaders had largely prioritized regional and party-specific interests over a central strategy.
During that 2024 ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally, Congress leaders targeted the Centre over frozen bank accounts, Tejashwi Yadav highlighted job creation under his former Bihar cabinet, TMC’s Sagarika Ghose raised state fund releases, and Akhilesh Yadav promoted his “PDA” formula. Leaders like Champai Soren, Bhagwant Mann, and Sunita Kejriwal focused on the arrests of Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal. The regional friction had prompted Kharge to caution Mann about political unity directly from the stage. Several leaders, including Kalpana Soren and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had also invoked Lord Ram in response to criticism over skipping the Ayodhya consecration event.
Since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections-where the NDA returned to power and subsequently won seven state assembly polls against one for Congress and one for NC-the coalition has faced internal rifts. Missteps included SP’s unilateral candidate announcements in UP, TMC contesting all 42 West Bengal seats independently, and friendly contests across 11 Bihar assembly seats among Mahagathbandhan partners. Sunday’s demonstration signals an effort by the opposition to move past state-level friction and rally behind electoral integrity as a single cause.
