Himachal Pradesh Congress members assembled at Himachal Bhawan in Delhi to formally raise objections against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing what the party characterised as discrepancies in voter rolls, while the wider INDIA bloc prepared a march toward the Supreme Court on Monday in pursuit of answers on the matter and Kumar's removal from the post.

In the hours before the INDIA bloc's planned march, police and security personnel were positioned across central Delhi's key thoroughfares and gathering points. Physical barriers went up at several points around the area, and a number of metro station entrances and exits were set to remain out of service between 6 am and 4 pm on 12 October as part of security arrangements.

Forces from the Rapid Action Force, the Central Reserve Police Force, and Delhi Police took up positions around Barakhamba Road and Mandi House, joining security personnel already placed throughout that stretch of the city.

On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi — who holds the Leader of Opposition post in the Lok Sabha — extended an invitation to opposition parties, students, and civil society organisations to join a march he described as a peaceful, collective journey toward the Supreme Court, set for 12th October. Gandhi urged students, civil society organisations, and opposition parties to stand alongside one another in protecting democratic institutions.

Speaking at a public address, Rahul Gandhi announced that the INDIA bloc intends to mobilise on October 12, pointing to what he characterised as physical force used by Delhi Police personnel and BJP members against students and women at a rally demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Crackdowns targeting students and young people would deepen resentment rather than quell it, he argued, adding that the planned march would proceed regardless of pressure on the opposition.

Venugopal, who serves as Congress General Secretary for Organisation, told those gathered that the protest had grown into something wider — a collective effort, he said, to defend democratic values and principles — and called on the public to join in. Proponents describe the effort as a safeguard for the nation's foundational governing principles.

Gandhi, the leader of the opposition, put out a nationwide call asking citizens to rally behind democratic principles. Venugopal told a television news outlet that the public across India would turn out and take part the following day.

Venugopal conveyed that the opposition had taken note of the Chief Justice of India's position on not receiving its delegation, while reaffirming the group's intention to proceed with the march to the Supreme Court; in his words, the Chief Justice had chosen not to hold a meeting with them, and that left open the avenue of delivering a petition to the court directly by hand or through the standard legal route. He added that while the decision was respected, there remained a firm intention to proceed with a march to the Supreme Court the following day.

A request from leaders of the INDIA bloc — seeking a meeting to hand over a representation on what they described as electoral irregularities — was turned away by Chief Justice Surya Kant, who pointed out that any such concerns would need to come before the court through a formal petition, given that the matter already sits within ongoing judicial proceedings.