A planned march by the INDIA bloc to the Supreme Court over contested election results prompted a substantial police deployment across Central Delhi on Monday. Among its demands, the alliance called for Gyanesh Kumar to step down from his position as Chief Election Commissioner, while also encouraging people nationwide to take part in the ongoing protest movement.
The INDIA bloc's objection to CEC Gyanesh Kumar came two days after a comparable demonstration directed at him by the Bharatiya Janata Party. A broadcast by a television outlet described as credible touched off the demonstration led by the CJP, with the coverage pointing to reported procedural discrepancies and an internal divide inside the election body — a divide made visible when the two remaining commissioners put forward objections tied to the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party announced that the bloc intended to hold fresh street demonstrations the following day, pointing to what he described as acts of violence by Delhi Police and BJP workers directed at students and women during the CJP-organised protest. No confirmation had yet emerged about the full roster of attendees, though Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was expected to stand alongside Congress figures Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge at the protest.
Banerjee, who was taken into custody on 10 October at a demonstration organised by the CJP, was expected to take part in the coalition's march targeting CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Alongside its call for Kumar's departure, the INDIA bloc tabled two further demands: a halt to what the alliance characterised as "vote chori," and a suspension of the Special Intensive Revision exercise — a voter-roll updating process centred in Bihar that got under way last year and, on the basis of available data, has seen upwards of 13 crore names removed from electoral lists.
Barricades went up at multiple points across the area, with the overall security presence notably strengthened. Reinforced security coverage — drawing on Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force personnel — was put in place around Barakhamba Road and the Mandi House vicinity.
Gates at select Metro stations were set to remain shut for entry and outbound travel between 6:00 am and 4:00 pm. Six stations along the Delhi Metro network — Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, and Barakhamba Road — were among those scheduled for temporary suspension of service.
Route changes were set to begin at 6:00 am on Monday, with vehicle movement across New Delhi and Central Delhi subject to varying levels of control or restriction based on how the law-and-order situation unfolded on the ground. Bottlenecks were forecast across several parts of the city, taking in the Lutyens' Delhi and Connaught Place districts, key central and north-south corridors, along with portions of the Ring Road and the southern reaches of Delhi.
