Preparations for the INDIA bloc rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan have intensified ahead of the November 1 event, with police expecting about 50,000 attendees and deploying 3,500 personnel for security and crowd management.
Workers were erecting a large tricolour tent over the main stage for opposition leaders on Thursday, while a second stage was being arranged for state units of INDIA bloc parties. White canopy tents, metal barricades, temporary platforms and rows of plastic chairs were also being installed at the venue.
The rally is scheduled from 10 am to 5 pm. The Congress has said it expects around 10 lakh people to participate, while Delhi Police’s estimate is substantially lower at about 50,000. The gathering is part of the opposition parties’ campaign against alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Police said more than 200 CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras and surveillance-equipped vehicles would be used to monitor the venue. The site has been divided into 14 zones, each overseen by an assistant commissioner-rank officer. Two zones will be monitored by officers of additional deputy commissioner rank, while 10 companies of reserve forces have also been called in.
Organisers have been asked to install high-definition CCTV cameras at strategic locations and establish a control room to monitor the footage. They must also deploy adequate volunteers, arrange drinking water and provide separate toilets for women. Parking arrangements are to be coordinated with traffic police, while police have sought details of invitees, volunteers and buses bringing participants to the venue.
An official communication dated October 17 and addressed to Congress leader Manish Chatrath approved the party’s request to book Ramlila Maidan from October 25 to November 3. The booking remains subject to permission from the land-owning authority and compliance with specified conditions. Overnight stay at the venue is not permitted, and organisers have been cautioned against unruly behaviour or speeches that could disturb communal harmony.
The event is expected to draw participants from Delhi and neighbouring states, with Congress leaders coordinating mobilisation through state units. Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has appealed to students and civil society groups to join the gathering.
The Indian Youth Congress has said some participants will wear white cloth to resemble ghosts, symbolising voters allegedly marked dead or removed from electoral rolls. Others may wear Batman masks, according to the organisation.
The November 1 rally follows the INDIA bloc’s plan to hold a “public impeachment” proceeding against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 30. After permission hurdles at other venues, opposition leaders decided to hold that programme at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Rajaji Marg. The Ramlila Maidan rally will proceed under the conditions set by the authorities, with security and crowd-control arrangements continuing ahead of the event.
