Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with other INDIA bloc leaders in New Delhi on October 30, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
The “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) has been postponed by a day (to Saturday, October 31) because of rains, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Friday (October 30).
Mr. Gandhi said the Opposition parties would hold the Chalo Dilli march from the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction in central Delhi to Ramlila Maidan on November 1, where the INDIA bloc would hold a rally against alleged vote chori (theft) through the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and press for the CEC’s resignation.
Keep track: CEC row key highlights – October 30, 2026
“By consensus, we have decided to postpone today’s [Friday’s] programme to tomorrow [Saturday] at the same time,” Mr. Gandhi said at a joint press conference with INDIA bloc leaders outside Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 10, Rajaji Marg. The ‘public impeachment’ would now be held on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
“Both programmes are about the demolition of democracy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and CEC Gyanesh Kumar and his crew,” Mr. Gandhi alleged.
“Huge anger, pain”
He also accused the Home Minister of trying to prevent people from reaching Delhi for the November 1 rally. “Our party people and common people are being stopped. You watch what happens at Ramlila Maidan, and you will understand what is happening in the country. There is huge anger and pain because millions are being disenfranchised,” the Congress MP said.
Mr. Gandhi said anyone who wanted to protect the Constitution was welcome to join the march and rally. In a message on Thursday (October 29), he had urged people, including student groups irrespective of their political affiliations, to participate, asserting that the BJP would not have the “guts” to use its usual tactics to stop them.
The march would begin at noon from the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction and culminate at Ramlila Maidan, Mr. Gandhi said during an ‘Ask Me’ session on Instagram. The rally was intended to press for an end to alleged vote theft and demand Mr. Kumar’s resignation.
Even though the impeachment programme did not take place, INDIA bloc leaders had an informal meeting in which they discussed on how to keep the momentum on the vote chori campaign after the November 1 rally, including calling on the President with “evidence of vote chori”.
Though majority of the INDIA bloc parties attended, there was none from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference.
Sources said Left leaders, including John Brittas (CPI-M), P. Sandosh Kumar (CPI) and N.K. Premachandran (RSP) had suggested postponing the impeachment programme post Deepavali but other parties did not agree to the proposal.
Suggestions were made about keeping the Chalo Dilli rally open ended so that civil society groups, student organisations outside the INDIA bloc could join in.
“Civil society, students, youth, workers, housewives — we are all in this together,” Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said, adding, “This is political plus. We all are in this together and we will win together”.
Echoing him, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav would join the rally on Sunday.
Published – October 30, 2026 01:29 pm IST
