New Delhi, October 6, 2026 – Members of Parliament belonging to the opposition INDIA bloc are marching from Parliament House to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters today as part of their intensified campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged irregularities in the process.
Around 150 MPs and key leaders from constituent parties of the INDIA alliance are participating in the peaceful protest march, scheduled to begin around 10:30–11:00 am. Prominent leaders expected include Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Trinamool Congress’s Abhishek Banerjee, among others.
The march forms a key component of the week-long “Save Democracy” campaign announced by the INDIA bloc on September 30 after a meeting of 19 opposition parties. District-level marches and demonstrations outside district magistrates’ offices have been underway across the country from October 2 to 8. The opposition has also planned five major rallies in the coming weeks, including a large gathering in Delhi on November 1.
Opposition leaders have alleged large-scale deletions of voter names under the SIR exercise—claims of over 13 crore names affected nationally—and accused the Election Commission of functioning under political influence. They have repeatedly demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing reports of internal dissent within the poll body. An Indian Express report had earlier highlighted that two Election Commissioners recorded multiple objections to SIR-related decisions.
Congress leader K.C. Venugopal stated that the protest is intended to remain peaceful and that the parties have requested police cooperation. Heavy security arrangements are in place in central Delhi, with approximately 4,000 personnel from the Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces deployed and multi-layered barricades set up along the route and around the ECI headquarters (Nirvachan Sadan).
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to skip the march, stating it is pursuing its own strategy on the issue. Some other parties such as the DMK and BJD are also reported to be staying away.
In addition to the street protest, INDIA bloc leaders plan to seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October to raise concerns about the functioning of constitutional institutions and alleged “vote chori” (vote theft). The alliance has also called for the use of pre-SIR electoral rolls for future elections, greater transparency in revisions, an effective appeal mechanism for deleted voters, and a return to paper ballots instead of EVMs.
The protest comes a day after the Supreme Court made observations regarding modifications to Form 6 used in the SIR process and issued notices in related petitions. The opposition continues to press for expedited hearings on pending cases concerning the electoral roll revision.
The INDIA bloc maintains that the campaign is aimed at safeguarding democratic processes and ensuring the integrity of India’s electoral system.