INDIA bloc's show of strength: Rahul leads mega rally as thousands gather at Ramlila Maidan
The Opposition leaders first assembled at Mallikarjun Kharge's residence before proceeding to Minto Road in an open bus
Thousands of supporters and top leaders of the INDIA bloc gathered at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan for a mega opposition rally to protest against alleged electoral irregularities and demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, amidst heavy security deployment across the national capital.
Thousands of supporters and top leaders of the INDIA bloc gathered at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan for a mega opposition rally to protest against alleged electoral irregularities and demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, amidst heavy security deployment across the national capital.
Thousands of supporters and top leaders of the INDIA bloc gathered at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan for a mega opposition rally to protest against alleged electoral irregularities and demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, amidst heavy security deployment across the national capital.
Thousands of supporters of various INDIA bloc parties gathered at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday as the Opposition held a mega rally against alleged electoral irregularities and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja and CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, among others, assembled at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence before proceeding to Minto Road in an open bus. From there, they proceeded to Minto Road in an open bus to stage a march up to Ramlila Maidan.
Many supporters arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, while several others had reached the national capital on Saturday or earlier, as opposition parties mobilised their cadres from different states for the protest.
Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Central Delhi, with multi-layered barricades and extensive drone surveillance put in place to maintain law and order as thousands of party workers, student groups and civil society representatives gathered at the venue.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi urged people to participate in the demonstration in large numbers.
"Delhi, get ready! Save the Vote, Save the Nation. Come to Connaught Place, let's march together. Or meet directly at Ramlila Maidan - but you must come. #ChaloDilli," he said in a post on X.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which spearheaded youth protests in Delhi recently, is not directly participating in the rally but has extended its support to the event.
Preparations at Ramlila Maidan have gathered pace over the past few days. Workers have erected a large tricolour-covered tent over the main stage for senior Opposition leaders, while a second stage has been set up for representatives of INDIA bloc state units. Rows of white canopy tents have also been erected, while metal barricades have been installed to regulate crowd movement and temporary platforms assembled.
INDIA bloc leaders have said they are expecting a turnout of up to 10 lakh people, while Delhi Police estimates that around 50,000 people may attend.
More than 4,000 police personnel, along with companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), have been deployed for security and crowd management along the march route and at the venue. The ground has been divided into 14 zones, each supervised by an officer of Assistant Commissioner of Police rank. More than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body-worn cameras are being used for surveillance.