Delhi Police on October 17 granted the Congress a no-objection certificate to hold an opposition rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. The rally is part of the INDIA bloc's campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

DCP (Central Delhi) Rohit Rajbir Singh said the permission followed discussions on security arrangements. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which owns the ground, has certified it available from October 25 to November 3.

What the dispute is about

The SIR, which began in Bihar in June 2025, has been extended nationwide. Reports compiled from public data put the number of names removed at about 13 crore by September 2026, mostly under the categories "absent, shifted or others", deceased, and duplicate entries.

  • The opposition calls the deletions "vote chori" (vote theft) and is demanding the CEC's resignation, a halt to the SIR and an appeal process for excluded voters. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has said the bloc also wants elections held with ballot papers instead of EVMs.
  • The Election Commission says its SIR decisions were lawful and unanimous and that removals targeted duplicate, deceased or ineligible entries.
  • The BJP has called the protests politically motivated.

On October 5, the Supreme Court declined to pass an interim order on a plea seeking the CEC's suspension and issued notice to the Election Commission. Earlier protests in Delhi saw large-scale detentions.