Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday, 1 November 2026, mounted a sharp pre-emptive challenge to the Congress ahead of the INDIA bloc's rally at Ramlila Maidan, posting a series of pointed questions on X about past election results, the appointment of Election Commissioners, and the legality of Special Intensive Revisions (SIRs) of voter rolls. The salvo came as Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi announced a 'Chalo Dilli' march culminating at the same venue on 1 November to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Rijiju's Key Questions

Rijiju zeroed in on the Congress's own electoral record, asking how the party had won only 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when Election Commissioners had been appointed during its own tenure in government. He extended the argument to 2024, pointedly noting that Gyanesh Kumar was not CEC during that election cycle, yet the Congress suffered what he termed a 'hat-trick defeat'.

'When Gyanesh Kumar was not CEC in 2024, how did Congress face a hat-trick defeat? Will present Congress CMs resign and also apologise for forming the Govts during 2014 to 2026?' Rijiju asked in his post.

The minister also raised a substantive question about electoral roll hygiene, asking whether names of illegal immigrants, deceased persons, people who had shifted residence, and duplicate entries should be removed from voter lists — framing the INDIA bloc's opposition to the current SIR exercise as, in effect, a defence of inflated rolls.

Historical SIR Record Under Scrutiny

Rijiju further put the Congress on the back foot by listing Special Intensive Revisions conducted between 1952 and 2004 — a period largely dominated by Congress governments — asking whether those exercises, held in years including 1952–56, 1958–61, 1965–66, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1993, 1995, and 2002–2004, were also illegal. The implicit argument is that the opposition's current objections apply retroactively to its own governance record.

Rijiju also alleged that a 'one-family party', together with what he described as outside forces, was attempting to undermine the Constitution and Indian democracy — a phrase that signals the BJP intends to frame the rally as an attack on democratic institutions rather than a legitimate protest.

INDIA Bloc's Rally Plans and Police Concerns

The INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan is directed against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, with participating parties alleging irregularities in the electoral roll revision process and demanding his removal. Rahul Gandhi announced the 'Chalo Dilli' march on X, inviting supporters to join at the Connaught Place–Minto Road Junction and walk to Ramlila Maidan on 1 November at 12 pm. 'See you tomorrow, let's walk together! Connaught Place Minto Road Junction–Ajmeri Gate–Ramlila Maidan. 1 November, 12 p.m.,' he posted.

However, Delhi Police sources said no permission had been sought for a march from Connaught Place. Sources added that MPs and political leaders could travel by private vehicle to Constitution Club, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence, or other locations at their convenience. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) are in force across the New Delhi area, including near the Election Commission of India office. Jantar Mantar has also been de-notified as a protest site.

Broader Context

The confrontation reflects a widening battle over the credibility of India's electoral machinery. The INDIA bloc has been raising alarms about the ongoing SIR process, arguing it could disenfranchise genuine voters, particularly marginalised communities. The BJP and the government counter that cleaning up voter rolls is a routine, legally mandated exercise with a six-decade precedent. With several state assembly elections on the horizon, the stakes of this institutional dispute go well beyond the Ramlila Maidan rally.