New Delhi, Oct 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to launch a month-long nationwide campaign of foot marches on November 1, the same day the INDIA bloc is scheduled to hold a rally in Delhi against alleged electoral-roll irregularities, setting the stage for competing political mobilisations over the conduct of elections.
The BJP will deploy senior ministers and chief ministers from its ruled states to lead coordinated padyatras across the country. Party president Nitin Nabin is also likely to participate in some of the programmes, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to join marches in Hyderabad on November 2 and Haryana on November 5.
The INDIA bloc has called its gathering at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi the “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” rally. Opposition leaders plan to protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They have also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of “vote chori”.
Delhi Police has issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) covering security and traffic coordination for the proposed rally from October 25 to November 3. However, the event has drawn political criticism from the BJP, which has questioned the choice of November 1 because it marks the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in Delhi.
The proposed rally has also faced calls for postponement from the city’s trading community. The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, urging them to defer the gathering until after November 10 in view of the festive season.
Kharge acknowledged that traders had submitted a memorandum on the issue. He said the Congress would decide its next course of action after consulting party leaders and allies in the INDIA bloc.
The CTI welcomed Kharge’s response, describing it as a positive sign for the city’s business community. The final decision on whether the opposition rally will proceed as scheduled remains subject to consultations within the alliance.
The BJP’s planned foot marches and the opposition’s proposed demonstration place electoral-roll revision, allegations against the election authorities and the timing of political protests at the centre of the political contest expected to unfold in November.
