INDIA Bloc Rally at Ramlila Maidan on 1 Nov: Route, Timings, Curbs

The INDIA bloc will hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on Sunday, 1 November, to press for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A march is planned at noon from the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction to the ground, according to PTI reporting carried by ThePrint, and Delhi Police have announced traffic curbs from 10 am to 5 pm.

Roads to Avoid on Sunday

Delhi Traffic Police have said diversions may be put in place at Netaji Subhash Marg T-point, Rajghat, Delhi Gate, ITO A-point, Ajmeri Gate red light, Ranjeet Singh flyover, Jhandewalan roundabout, Turkman Gate and Mirdard Chowk, depending on the crowd. Congestion is expected on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg between ITO and Delhi Gate, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Aruna Asaf Ali Road, Minto Road, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road and Barakhamba Road. Bus movement may be regulated on several of these stretches. A separate passage has been kept open for emergency vehicles near LNJP Hospital, and parking is available opposite the hospital, at DMRC lots and at Rajghat. Passengers heading for New Delhi Railway Station have been advised to leave early.

What the Opposition Wants

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal has said the party expects at least a million people and called the issue “vote chori” orchestrated, in his words, by “Gyanesh & Co.” at the behest of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. He said people from across the country would send a message that “we are united in protecting our democracy”. These are Venugopal’s claims; IPB has not independently verified them.

Also read EC Affidavit in Supreme Court: What It Says on SIR, CEC and Form 6

Delhi Police sources told Republic on 27 October that permission for the ground, booked from 25 October to 3 November, had not been withdrawn. Ramlila Maidan is one of three designated protest sites in Delhi, along with Burari Ground and CBD Ground.

From the Supreme Court March to the Mock Parliament

The rally follows a “March for Democracy” that reached the Supreme Court on 12 October, when opposition leaders filed a joint petition against the SIR, and a mock Parliament on 31 October that set out six charges against the CEC. IPB has set those out in The Six Charges Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The court’s latest direction on voter-roll deletions is in our report on UP Form 7 complaints.

The organisers have not announced a full speaker list. IPB will report the speeches, the turnout and any resolution on Sunday. More opposition coverage is in Daily Updates.

Source: Based on reporting by ThePrint (PTI), The Federal (PTI) and Republic.

Image: IPB (Mallikarjun Kharge at the INDIA bloc’s 31 October public impeachment of the CEC).