Akhilesh Yadav and opposition leaders rally in New Delhi to protest alleged electoral irregularities

NEW DELHI — Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined top INDIA bloc leaders at a rally in New Delhi on Sunday to protest against alleged vote theft and irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, using the platform to launch his party’s campaign for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Addressing the gathering at Ramlila Maidan, Yadav warned that the opposition would oust the Bharatiya Janata Party from Uttar Pradesh in next year’s assembly polls, pointing to the ruling party’s reduced tally in the state during the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP secured 33 seats compared to 62 in 2019. Likening the venue to the historic battlefield of Haldighati, Yadav accused the ruling dispensation of manipulating electoral rolls while failing to deliver on its promises.

The demonstration drew prominent opposition figures across party lines, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The rally followed a mock-Parliament session held at Kharge’s residence, where 19 opposition parties adopted a resolution demanding the removal of Chief Electoral Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and calling for his prosecution on charges of treason and vote theft.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that democracy would survive only if the prime minister is removed from office. Kharge alleged that governments at the Centre and in states such as Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were installed through vote irregularities rather than genuine public mandates.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of targeting her state through the SIR process, vowing that her party would continue to resist the exercise. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah questioned the rationale behind the deletion of voter names, asking whether Hindu electors removed from rolls in Uttar Pradesh were being dismissed as infiltrators.

Other speakers, including CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, CPI general secretary D. Raja, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, and CPI(ML) chief Dipankar Bhattacharya, echoed concerns over the protection of voting rights and the Constitution. The opposition delegation has previously pressed its demands before President Droupadi Murmu, calling for the repeal of the 2023 legislation that grants immunity to election commissioners.