NEW DELHI, October 28 (Aalimi Nation) – Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, sharpening a vote theft row that is building towards a Congress rally in the capital on 1 November. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have rejected the allegations and said Congress has produced no evidence.

What Rahul Gandhi said

Speaking at a "Vote Adhikar Jeene Ka Adhikar" public hearing in New Delhi on Tuesday, Gandhi alleged that votes were being stolen "right from the top level" and that poorer citizens were being deliberately removed from electoral rolls. He said the Opposition would keep agitating until Kumar resigned, and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove him if he did not.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on social media that Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were trying to suppress the movement, and asked why they were protecting the Chief Election Commissioner. AICC observer Pallam Raju said the party's concerns went beyond the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to electronic voting machines and VVPATs, and called for transparency and accountability at every stage of the election process.

The planned programme

Congress has scheduled a public impeachment-style proceeding against Kumar on 30 October, followed by a "Dilli Chalo" march and a gathering at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November. Police sources said Delhi Police had not withdrawn the permission granted earlier for the rally.

Traders have asked for a postponement. The Chamber of Trade and Industry said road diversions, barricades and metro closures during the festive shopping season would hit markets in Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar and Karol Bagh. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said the impact would be limited and could even benefit street vendors, and estimated attendance at between 800,000 and 1,000,000. Congress leader Hussain Dalwai said the voting rights of 13 crore people had been taken away, a figure the party has not backed with evidence in the reports reviewed.

BJP's response

BJP leader Nalin Kohli criticised the plan to ask traders to take up Congress's political demands. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh urged Gandhi to postpone the rally until after Diwali and asked whether it would lead to Kumar's resignation. The BJP has announced a campaign titled "Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy".

Telangana BJP president Ramchander Rao, speaking on Tuesday, called the demand to halt the revision baseless. "How can it be stopped without any proof?" he asked, saying the first phase was over and the second phase was complete in Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. He said claims of vote theft were "an insult to the people's mandate".

Background

Congress and other Opposition parties have questioned the Election Commission's conduct of the voter list revision for months, and held a similar rally at Ramlila Maidan in December 2025. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions on the revision, and the Election Commission has filed its response there.

The Election Commission had not publicly responded to Gandhi's latest remarks in the reports reviewed. The next flashpoints are the 30 October proceeding and the 1 November rally, where Delhi Police arrangements and traders' concerns will be tested. The Supreme Court hearing on the revision continues.