For the Congress, the Ramlila Maidan rally offered an opportunity to bring the SIR controversy to the centre of the national political debate and give its cadres a common issue around which to mobilise.

For the Congress, the Ramlila Maidan rally offered an opportunity to bring the SIR controversy to the centre of the national political debate and give its cadres a common issue around which to mobilise.

For the Congress, the Ramlila Maidan rally offered an opportunity to bring the SIR controversy to the centre of the national political debate and give its cadres a common issue around which to mobilise.

The Opposition has taken its fight against the Modi government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls—and its demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar—several notches higher.

At Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, the INDIA bloc mounted a massive show of strength, bringing together leaders and cadres from across the country.

On a bright, sunny day, men and women filled the ground, carrying party flags and banners and bringing energy to the venue, both inside and outside. It was perhaps one of the Opposition’s biggest shows of strength in the past decade, with some sharp political speeches which are expected to reverberate over the coming days.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi led the march to the historic ground in an open jeep, with senior Opposition leaders seated behind him. The rally drew workers and supporters from several states, with flags of the Congress, Left parties, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal visible across the venue.

The rally also placed Gandhi at the centre of the Opposition’s national campaign, as he has been relentless in his attacks on the Election Commission and the government. After several press conferences and the Vote Chori Yatra ahead of the Bihar polls last year, the Ramlila Maidan gathering marked a high point in his political fight against the government over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls.

Gandhi framed the dispute as a fight over the Constitution and the right to vote. He accused the BJP of benefiting from electoral manipulation and questioned the Election Commission’s impartiality.

His argument was that the controversy over electoral rolls was not merely an administrative issue, but part of a larger struggle over democratic institutions.

Gandhi reiterated his stringent stance on the issue when he declared that CEC Gyanesh Kumar would have to go jail for vote theft.

Continuing his attack on the PM, he charged: "(Union Home Minister) Amit Shah says Narendra Modi will not go anywhere. We are saying we will not let him go anywhere. We will take legal action against you and the country ... will seek justice for this vote chori."

Gandhi also sought to present the Opposition’s campaign as one that did not depend on personal hostility towards political opponents. He reiterated his message of mohabbat ki dukaan, arguing that the fight was about protecting the Constitution and the rights of citizens, rather than targeting individuals.

For the Congress, the rally offered an opportunity to bring the SIR controversy to the centre of the national political debate and give its cadres a common issue around which to mobilise.

While Gandhi maintained the tenor of his attack on the Modi government and the Election Commission, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav focused on Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due in 2027.

He attacked the BJP, saying that 1.27 crore voters whose names had been removed were Hindus. He also took a jibe at Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion in Lucknow that the BJP was like Angad’s foot—a reference to a character in the Ramayana—that cannot be moved. Yadav said the BJP would be dislodged in the elections.

He also pointed to inflation, unemployment among young people and restrictions on the media as issues that could affect the BJP’s electoral prospects.

Calling Ramlila Maidan the Haldighati of democracy, Yadav presented the gathering as the beginning of a larger political contest. He predicted that the BJP would face defeat in upcoming elections and argued that Uttar Pradesh would play a decisive role in that outcome.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee vowed to continue the fight against SIR. Her participation underlined the importance of the issue for the Trinamool Congress, which is locked in its own political contest with the BJP in West Bengal.

Referring to the revision of electoral rolls in her state, she said, “Bengal is a victim of SIR; we will not spare them, we will fight.”

She also used a satirical version of the nursery rhyme 'Johnny Johnny Yes Papa' to target the Chief Election Commissioner, accusing the BJP and the poll body of vote theft.

The Left parties also joined the rally, with their flags visible alongside those of the Congress, SP and RJD. Their presence strengthened the image of a broad Opposition front united around the issue.

AISA president Neha Bora was also given an opportunity to speak at the venue, indicating her growing profile at the national level.

The BJP dismissed the rally as a flop, challenging the Opposition’s claim that it had demonstrated significant public support.

The Opposition’s show of unity will have to pass the test of winning state elections, beginning in 2027. The size of Sunday’s gathering may help establish the scale of its mobilisation, but electoral results will determine its political impact.

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