The INDIA bloc held a mass rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, launching a ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Centre. The BJP answered on the same day with its own street protests, stretching from the capital into Haryana.

Sunday turned into a day of rival demonstrations. On one side, opposition leaders packed the stage at Ramlila Maidan. On the other, BJP workers and senior ministers took to the streets in Rohtak and Hari Nagar, calling the opposition’s campaign anarchy.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared the stage. More than 20 leaders joined the rally, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

Rahul Gandhi used his speech to hit both the Centre and the Election Commission. He said the fight was not limited to Gyanesh Kumar and would reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Vote theft allegations at the centre of the attack

Gandhi claimed that vote theft was happening continuously across the country. He alleged that large numbers of voters had been removed from electoral rolls on a massive scale after the 2024 elections. He said the Election Commission must work with complete impartiality.

Mamata Banerjee took aim at the Centre and said she had been defeated in Bengal but would keep fighting to protect democracy. She added a jibe that people were now saying: BJP’s company brings ruin to all.

Tejashwi Yadav went further than any other speaker. He said Gyanesh Kumar should be removed from his post and sent to jail, so that no one in future would dare to tamper with the Constitution.

Gyanesh Kumar should be removed from his post and sent to jail, so that no one in future dares to tamper with the Constitution.

Kharge made a sharper commitment. He announced that the opposition’s struggle would continue until the Chief Election Commissioner steps down from his post.

A mock parliament and an impeachment motion before the rally

The rally was preceded by a rare event at Kharge’s residence, where a ‘mock parliament’ and a ‘people’s impeachment’ exercise were held. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the meeting, which was attended by MPs and leaders from 21 parties.

The mock house framed six charges against Gyanesh Kumar and passed an impeachment motion unanimously. Participants, including civil society members, raised their hands to back the motion. The gathering also supported the demand to dismiss Kumar from the post of Chief Election Commissioner.

The mock exercise had no legal force, but it gave the opposition a formal document to wave from the stage. It also set the tone for the speeches that followed at Ramlila Maidan.

BJP takes the fight to the streets

The BJP did not stay quiet. The party called the opposition’s campaign anarchy and set out to counter it on the ground. In Rohtak, Haryana, a padyatra titled ‘Lokatantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’, meaning ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’, was led by BJP national president Nitin Nabin.

In Delhi’s Hari Nagar, the party held a silent march to remember the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta were among the leaders who joined the march.

The BJP dismissed the opposition rally as a ‘super flop’. It claimed that a large section of the Ramlila Maidan ground remained empty. The party used the image of empty space to dispute the size of the turnout the opposition had projected.

Why the confrontation matters now

Sunday’s events show how sharply the two sides now disagree over the Election Commission. The opposition is treating the CEC as the central target of its campaign. It is no longer only asking for accountability. It is asking for his removal from office.

The BJP’s response is equally direct. By taking padyatras and marches across Haryana and Delhi on the same day, the party sought to shape the story of the day and dispute the opposition’s show of strength.

The opposition has signalled that the agitation will not end with one rally. Kharge’s statement that the struggle will continue until the CEC leaves office makes clear that the ‘Delhi Chalo’ movement is a sustained campaign, not a single event.

The coming days will show whether the opposition can turn its mock impeachment and its mass rally into a sustained political push. Equally, the BJP’s street response will test whether its counter-narrative can hold the ground the opposition has claimed.