A long procession of political leaders and party workers moved out from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction on Sunday, flags and banners rising above the crowd as an open vehicle carrying some of the country’s most prominent Opposition figures made its way towards Ramlila Maidan. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee were among those travelling with other INDIA bloc leaders, while supporters walked alongside the vehicle, turning the stretch towards the rally venue into a moving procession.
The march, organised under the banner of ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’, was the most visible part of the Opposition alliance’s mobilisation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. But the gathering had begun taking shape across the capital several hours before the leaders arrived at Minto Road. At Ramlila Maidan, supporters of different Opposition parties had started assembling early in the morning. Congress workers gathered outside Himachal Bhawan before proceeding towards the venue, while Samajwadi Party supporters assembled outside Akhilesh Yadav’s residence. Groups affiliated with Left parties also arrived in the Capital, with student organisations joining the mobilisation.
Supporters were not limited to party workers from Delhi. Several groups had travelled from neighbouring States and other parts of the country. Supporters of the INDIA bloc gathered carrying party flags, banners and placards, while groups of students and representatives of different organisations made their way towards the rally venue.
At the centre of the preparations was Ramlila Maidan, where a large tricolour canopy had been erected above the main stage. A separate stage was arranged for representatives of the alliance’s State units. White canopy tents, temporary platforms and designated enclosures occupied portions of the grounds, with barricades installed to regulate the movement of people.
Cut-outs of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge were also put up outside the venue. The rally arrangements included separate entry points and enclosures for different categories of attendees.
As the morning progressed, the focus shifted towards the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction, where the alliance’s senior leaders were scheduled to assemble for the march. The leaders had first gathered at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. From there, they travelled towards Minto Road in open vehicles. The procession included Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Tejashwi Yadav and several other Opposition leaders.
The open vehicle became one of the defining visual features of the procession. Leaders stood alongside one another as the vehicle moved slowly through the route, acknowledging supporters gathered along the way.
The crowd accompanying them carried flags representing different parties in the INDIA bloc. Congress flags appeared alongside those of regional parties, while banners and placards bearing messages against the Election Commission and demanding the CEC’s resignation were visible among the supporters. The procession moved from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction towards Ramlila Maidan, taking the route through the central Delhi road network.
One particularly striking visual emerged near Minto Bridge, where supporters marched along the road as a train passed overhead. The procession moved beneath the railway bridge, with the city’s everyday transport infrastructure forming the backdrop to the political mobilisation.
The Indian Youth Congress also brought an unusual element to the procession. Its workers displayed long voter lists, which they alleged contained names of eligible voters deleted during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. The lists stretched for a considerable distance along the route, with the organisation claiming that voters from minority, OBC and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities had been affected. The lists added another visual element to a procession otherwise dominated by party flags, banners and photographs of political leaders.
Security arrangements were visible across the central parts of the city. Police personnel were deployed around Connaught Place, Minto Road, Jantar Mantar and the approaches to Ramlila Maidan. Barricades had been installed at several locations, while additional forces were stationed along important stretches of the route.
Delhi Police had made extensive arrangements ahead of the event. Reports put the deployment across central and New Delhi districts at nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel, although the deployment around Ramlila Maidan was separately reported at more than 4,000 personnel. Surveillance arrangements included CCTV cameras and drone monitoring. Traffic restrictions and diversions were also put in place around the rally venue and adjoining roads.
At Ramlila Maidan, the gathering continued to grow as the procession approached. Supporters carrying placards raised slogans against the Special Intensive Revision exercise and demanded Kumar’s resignation. Party workers and student groups occupied different sections of the venue, while the main stage remained the focal point for the senior alliance leadership. By around 1.30 pm, the crowd at the ground had swelled, with supporters of different INDIA bloc constituents continuing to arrive.
The march and the rally presented two distinct visual settings. On the roads, the procession was defined by the open vehicle carrying senior leaders, supporters walking alongside and a succession of flags and banners. Inside Ramlila Maidan, the arrangement was more structured, with designated enclosures, stages and canopies accommodating the gathering.
The procession also brought together leaders who rarely appear in the same frame outside major Opposition programmes. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stood alongside Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Farooq Abdullah and leaders of several Left parties as the open vehicle moved towards the venue.
For supporters following the procession, the journey from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan was itself part of the demonstration. The flags, voter-list displays and placards travelled with the crowd, carrying the protest’s message from the starting point to the rally grounds.