New Delhi: The political temperature in the national capital shot up on Sunday as the INDIA bloc announced a massive protest march in Delhi on Monday over alleged large-scale “vote chori” (vote theft), setting the stage for another high-voltage confrontation between the opposition and the government. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge also revealed that a delegation of senior alliance leaders will meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday to seek the judiciary’s intervention in what they called a crisis facing the country’s democracy.
The announcement comes a day after Delhi witnessed heavy police deployment, mass detentions and chaotic scenes when protesters attempted to gather at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Opposition leaders say Monday’s march will be bigger, louder and harder to ignore.
What the INDIA bloc announced on Sunday
Speaking about the plan, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Congress, the entire INDIA bloc and the country’s youth would once again take to the streets of Delhi in massive numbers on Monday. He alleged that Delhi Police and BJP workers had used violence against students and women during Saturday’s protest and said this time the voice of the protesters would echo across the nation louder than ever before.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the party was appealing to every Indian concerned about democracy’s survival to join the “massive” protest march. According to the plan shared by the alliance, INDIA bloc MPs, leaders, workers and ordinary citizens will march through Delhi to protest against what they describe as a nationwide “vote chori” orchestrated with the help of the Election Commission’s leadership.
A delegation will meet the Chief Justice
Alongside the street protest, the alliance is taking its complaint to the judiciary. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Sunday that he and Rahul Gandhi have formally written to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, seeking an appointment between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM on Monday to apprise him of the current state of democracy in the country.
“We cannot demand anything from him; only with folded hands will we submit our request,” Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru, launching a sharp attack on the Election Commission. He accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of stifling fellow election commissioners and preventing the poll panel from taking independent decisions.
“The CEC is a constitutional body. They are independent. They can take independent decisions. But he is not allowing them to take independent decisions,” Kharge alleged, claiming that fellow members of the commission had openly exposed how irregularities were being handled. A delegation of senior leaders, expected to include Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, will submit a memorandum to the CJI seeking his intervention.
Why Saturday matters: the Jantar Mantar crackdown
Monday’s march is a direct escalation of Saturday’s dramatic events in Delhi. Protesters had called for a gathering at Jantar Mantar to demand the CEC’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls, but Delhi Police denied permission and fanned out across the capital to stop demonstrators from reaching the venue.
Around 3,000 people were detained across Delhi during the day, in what became one of the largest single-day detention operations the capital has seen in recent years. Among those picked up were some of the biggest names in opposition politics: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Trinamool Congress founder Mamata Banerjee, former Kerala chief ministers Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, along with several MPs and youth activists.
The youth-led protest also threw up new faces. Neha Bora, a 29-year-old doctoral student and national president of the All India Students’ Association, urged demonstrators to regroup at Dilli Haat after police blocked Jantar Mantar, and continued to address supporters even after being detained. She was released later on Saturday.
The “vote chori” allegation, in brief
At the heart of the confrontation is the opposition’s claim of massive irregularities in the handling of voter data. Here is what each side says:
- The opposition’s claim: Protesters allege that around 130 million names have been deleted from electoral rolls across the country, a figure larger than the population of Japan. They link the deletions to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and say the exercise is being used to benefit the ruling party.
- The Election Commission’s stand: The poll panel has denied favouring any political group and maintains that the revision of electoral rolls is a routine, transparent exercise.
- The BJP’s response: The ruling party has accused the opposition of trying to undermine India’s democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.
- What’s next: The opposition says Monday’s march and the memorandum to the CJI are only the beginning, and has warned of a sustained nationwide agitation if its concerns are not addressed.
BJP hits back at the opposition
The BJP was quick to counter the INDIA bloc’s announcement. Party MP Bansuri Swaraj launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that a “competition of anarchy” had emerged between the two leaders after being rejected by voters.
“Having failed to secure power through the popular mandate, they are now seeking excuses for their defeat,” Swaraj said, arguing that both the Congress and AAP had failed to win the trust of the people and were resorting to street protests instead of constructive politics.
What to expect on Monday
All eyes will now be on Delhi on Monday. Here is what is lined up:
- The march: INDIA bloc MPs, leaders, workers and citizens are expected to gather in large numbers for the protest march through the capital. Delhi Police is likely to deploy heavy security given Saturday’s crackdown.
- The CJI meeting: Kharge and Rahul Gandhi hope to meet Chief Justice Surya Kant between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to submit their memorandum.
- The political fallout: With both sides digging in, Monday’s events could shape the opposition’s strategy for the coming weeks, including the possibility of taking the agitation beyond Delhi.
For now, one thing is clear: the battle over “vote chori” has moved from press conferences to the streets of Delhi, and neither side looks ready to back down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. When is the INDIA bloc protest march?
The INDIA bloc has announced a massive protest march in Delhi on Monday, October 12, 2026, against alleged “vote chori” and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Q2. Who will meet the Chief Justice of India?
A delegation of senior INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, plans to meet CJI Surya Kant on Monday between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to submit a memorandum seeking judicial intervention.
Q3. What is the “vote chori” allegation?
Opposition parties allege large-scale irregularities in electoral rolls, claiming around 130 million voter names have been deleted. The Election Commission denies the charge and says the Special Intensive Revision of rolls is routine and transparent.
Q4. What happened at Jantar Mantar on Saturday?
Police denied permission for a protest demanding the CEC’s resignation and detained around 3,000 people across Delhi, including top opposition leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar.
Q5. What has the BJP said?
The BJP has dismissed the allegations, accusing the opposition of undermining democracy by questioning legitimate electoral processes. MP Bansuri Swaraj said the Congress and AAP were resorting to protests after being rejected by voters.
Stay tuned to informeia.com for live updates on Monday’s protest march and the INDIA bloc delegation’s meeting with the Chief Justice of India.
