NEW DELHI: Leaders of the INDIA bloc on Sunday held a mega rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, targeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The rally held over allegations of “vote chori”, saw senior INDIA bloc leaders accuse the BJP of electoral manipulation and undermining democratic institutions.

Several opposition leaders targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission was favouring the ruling party.

They demanded Kumar's removal and vowed to continue their campaign against him.

Former West Bengal chief minister

accused the BJP of trying to influence the West Bengal elections and vowed to fight against the alleged actions.

“Bengal is victim of SIR. We will not spare them, we will fight,” she said, adding, “Gyanesh, when will you vanish?”

Mamata also accused the BJP of looting funds linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi and Waqf properties, and alleged that the police had become the party's “comrades”.

“What haven't they looted? They looted the money of Ram Janmabhoomi, Waqf properties... The police became their comrades. The BJP has no organisation of its own. That is why they make the police do party work. Agencies don't work with the BJP. The BJP will go,” she said.

Accusing the BJP of undermining democracy and the Constitution through alleged “vote theft”, Mamata said the party had also deprived young people of jobs, compromised women's dignity and misused donations.

“These people have looted the country's democracy and constitution through 'vote theft', and attacked it on top of that. The BJP has stolen youth's jobs, stolen women's honor, stolen donations—we must remove them from power,” she said.

“Bengal is the victim of the circumstances of this SIR. We will not give up. We will give our lives, we will fight, but we will not surrender. They looted our Bengal. We will save democracy and bring it back... We will take revenge through politics. We will take revenge through democracy. We will fight...” she added.

Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha

also targeted PM Modi, Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission had helped the BJP manipulate elections.

“Listen to me. What I say always turns out to be true, doesn't it? I am telling every citizen and every youth of India: Gyanesh Kumar will be removed from the post of Chief Election Commissioner. Gyanesh Kumar will go to jail,” he said.

He also alleged that PM Modi and Amit Shah would not have reached their current positions without Kumar's help. “Without Gyanesh Kumar, neither Narendra Modi would have become Prime Minister nor Amit Shah would have become Home Minister,” Rahul said.

Rahul said the opposition was not driven by hatred towards the BJP leadership but was fighting to protect the Constitution and the rights of citizens.

“We do not hate Narendra Modi, Amit Shah or Gyanesh Kumar. We are people who open the shop of love, not hatred. We are people of non-violence. For me, there is no enemy. Neither Narendra Modi, nor Amit Shah, nor Gyanesh Kumar. But the voice of every citizen of India is more important to me, even more important than religion. That is my religion,” he said.

He added that the INDIA bloc would not resort to violence or spread hatred but would continue to oppose any attempt to undermine the Constitution.

“We will not use violence, we will not harm anyone and we will not spread hatred. We will work with love. But we will not let you destroy the Constitution. No matter what happens, we will not let it happen,” Rahul said.

Rahul also raised concerns over unemployment, farmers' rights and the concentration of wealth, alleging that the country's resources were increasingly in the hands of a few people.

“The farmer is not getting his rights. The youth are not getting employment. The labourer is not getting his rights, and the entire wealth has gone into the hands of two or three people. We do not want such an India, and we will not accept such an India,” he said.

He said the country should ensure that farmers received the benefits of their hard work and that students who worked hard had access to employment.

“Anyone can join Shiv ki Baraat. Every living being can join it. Can anyone be stopped from participating in that? No. We want that kind of India. If a farmer works hard, he should reap the rewards. If a student studies for 18 hours, they should get employment. We do not want a country that belongs only to two or three people,” Rahul said.

Referring to Amit Shah's remarks that PM Modi would remain in power, Rahul said the opposition would continue its campaign after demanding action against the CEC.

“Amit Shah ji said Narendra Modi is not going anywhere. I am telling you the opposite: Narendra Modi cannot go anywhere. Even if he wants to leave, we will not let him go. After Gyanesh Kumar, we are going to stand right in front of you. Legal action will be taken against them,” he said.

Rahul described Kumar's removal as the first step towards putting the country back on the right track. “The first step to get the country back on the right track is to remove Gyanesh Kumar,” he said.

Congress president

alleged that the BJP government had come to power through a “stolen” mandate. He said removing Prime Minister Narendra Modi was necessary to protect democracy.

Kharge accused Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah of attempting to take away the voting rights of Dalits, women and young people. He alleged that the two leaders were shielding CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

“Modi and Shah have attempted to snatch the vote of Dalits, youth and women. Modi ji wants to take away their votes through his man -- Ganesh Kumar. We will keep fighting until he goes, and ensure his exit,” Kharge said.

He further alleged that the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had been formed through “vote chori”.

“Be it the central government, governments in Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, they are 'chori' governments (formed on stolen mandate). We have to throw out these 'vote chor',” he said.

Kharge also said the opposition would continue its agitation until Kumar resigned.

“No matter how many attempts Narendra Modi makes.. until Gyanesh Kumar resigns, we will not stay silent—we will keep fighting,” he said.

He added that opposition leaders would not be intimidated by central agencies or the police.

“We have the strength to fight and will not be intimidated by the police, CBI, ED or any other government agency. Neither will our INDIA alliance leaders be scared. Everyone on this stage is ready to fight,” Kharge said.

He also reiterated his call for Modi's removal, saying: “Modi jayega to hi loktantra bachega, Modi ko hatayenge tabhi loktantra ko bachenyenge, Modi ko hatao loktantra ko bachao (Remove Modi to save democracy).”

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav described Ramlila Maidan as the “Haldighati of democracy” and said the rally signalled that political change could come at any time.

“Today, Ramlila Maidan has turned into the Haldighati of democracy. The massive public support and slogans of revolution are proof that change can happen at any moment,” he said.

Akhilesh also targeted the BJP, saying those who had once claimed to be an “unmovable foot of Angad” had lost their political ground.

He alleged that the party was turning to the Election Commission because it feared losing elections.

“The people of UP know how to welcome and how to bid farewell even better. In 2027, such a farewell will happen that the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies will not be able to return again,” he added.

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference President Farooq Abdullah says, "...Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain a part of India. They will not be able to separate it."

"These people point fingers at Muslims and call them Pakistanis. I want to tell the BJP and RSS: We have given our blood for India. We gave it in the past, we are giving it today, and we will give it tomorrow. This is Ambedkar's Constitution. This is India's Constitution. We are all equal, and everyone has an equal vote. Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain a part of India. They will not be able to separate it," he added.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav compared the opposition rally to the Mahabharata, accusing those in power of manipulating elections.

“While the Ramlila Maidan is traditionally meant for staging the Ramayana, today we have organised a 'Mahabharata' for those who steal votes,” he said.

Referring to the dice game in the epic, Tejashwi said, “You are all aware of the game Shakuni played in the Mahabharata. You know your history: the Mahabharata began not on a battlefield, but with a game of dice. And now that Shakuni is playing his game, we are compelled to fight the battle...”

Several senior opposition leaders attended the rally, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja and CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.

Earlier, INDIA bloc leaders travelled in an open vehicle from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction towards Ramlila Maidan, as hundreds of supporters marched alongside them.