The proposed march will begin at Parliament’s Makar Dwar and proceed towards Nirvachan Sadan, the ECI headquarters. Delhi Police personnel have been deployed outside the poll panel’s office, while multiple layers of barricades have been set up around Vijay Chowk to maintain law and order. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have also been deployed around Akashvani ahead of the march.  

Security arrangements have been stepped up in New Delhi, and around 4,000 personnel from the Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed. 

Here are the top developments:

1. Traffic restrictions imposed across central Delhi

Traffic restrictions have been imposed across parts of central Delhi in view of the planned demonstration. Those travelling around Parliament, Vijay Chowk and the ECI headquarters are likely to be affected by security arrangements and movement restrictions. 

2. The march is scheduled to begin at 11 am

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that MPs from Opposition parties would assemble at Makar Dwar at 10:30 am, with the march scheduled to begin at 11 am. He said the demonstration would be peaceful.

3. Who is participating in the INDIA bloc march?

Several Opposition parties are expected to take part in the protest march. The Congress has been coordinating the protest, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attending a meeting of Pradesh Congress Committee presidents and in-charges ahead of the march. 

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said Opposition leaders were preparing for a major demonstration and that the Supreme Court’s observations on the modified Form 6 had strengthened their position. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, has said it will not participate in the march. AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the party was not part of the INDIA alliance’s planned demonstration and would continue its campaign independently.

4. Why is the Opposition protesting?

The march is part of the Opposition’s broader ‘Save Democracy’ campaign against what it alleges are irregularities in the SIR exercise and discrepancies in electoral rolls. Opposition parties have accused the poll panel of failing to ensure transparency and have demanded Kumar’s removal. 

The INDIA bloc announced a coordinated programme of protests after a meeting in New Delhi on September 30. The campaign includes district-level marches, demonstrations and meetings. 

On October 5, Jairam Ramesh said INDIA alliance parties would organise district-level padayatras and meetings until October 8. He also outlined plans for block-level meetings from October 10 to 20, followed by state- and district-level rallies under the ‘Save votes, save the country’ campaign from October 25 to November 25.

5. Supreme Court’s Form 6 observations add to row

The protest comes a day after the Supreme Court said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6, which is used to enroll new voters during the SIR exercise. 

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the court would examine who had modified the form when the relevant records were produced. The court also declined to pass an ex parte interim order seeking Kumar’s suspension, while issuing notices to the Centre, the ECI, the CEC and other officials. 

The petition alleges that 14 key decisions relating to the SIR exercise were taken in the name of the Election Commission despite objections allegedly recorded by the other two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. It also questions changes to Form 6 and electoral-roll systems.

(With inputs from agencies)