Image source, Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu via Getty Images
At 10 in the morning, traffic was moving normally near Minto Bridge. Workers of Congress, Samajwadi Party and other opposition parties were starting to gather.
At that time it was difficult to predict that by the afternoon this number would increase so much.
However, one thing was clear, this time Samajwadi Party workers were seen in greater numbers as compared to previous demonstrations. They came not only from the districts of western Uttar Pradesh near Delhi but also from far-flung districts of eastern UP.
Congress workers from every corner of the country also participated in this grand rally of the opposition led by Congress.
Congress worker Shahzad Khan, who came from Gujarat, told BBC, "Not only Congress workers, but common people are also joining this mega rally in large numbers."
However, the increasing crowd near Minto Road was only of workers of political parties.
It was difficult to reach Ramlila Maidan amidst the crowd
Image source: Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images
At around 1-1.30 in the afternoon, Rahul Gandhi passed under Minto Bridge in an open bus. Akhilesh Yadav was also with him in the same bus.
Congress and Samajwadi Party workers were trying hard to show the faces of their leaders by reaching near the bus.
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Many held posters bearing the face of Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar.
The workers were raising slogans directly attacking Gyanesh Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
People from different parts of the country had come to this rally organized to protest against the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of Voter List i.e. SIR.
There was a crowd on the roads around Ramlila Maidan. There was continuous movement of people even on the roads leading inside the grounds.
The crowd was so huge that we had to struggle a lot to reach inside the ground.
Workers of Congress, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and other allies of India Alliance were included in this rally.
But the concern of the people present here was not limited to just supporting political parties.
Many people were raising questions about transparency in the electoral process and their right to vote.
A software engineer attending the rally said that she is not associated with any political party, but this issue is very serious for her.
She said, "I am a software engineer, I am not associated with any party. But I know this issue is very serious. If vote theft has happened, then there can be no bigger issue than this."
A protestor from Bihar said that he has come here to demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and to protect the Constitution.
Most of the people present in the rally were talking in one voice. The issue of alleged vote theft was on everyone's lips.
What did the India Alliance gain from the crowd?
Image source, Arun SANKAR / AFP via Getty Images
With this mobilization, Congress and its allies registered their protest against the demand for removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. But two senior journalists have different opinions regarding the political strength the party got from the rally and its further electoral impact. He spoke to Dushyant Kumar, associate correspondent of BBC News Hindi.
Senior journalist Sharad Gupta assesses that the roads and grounds were seen filled and the opposition was successful in sending a message against the government.
Along with its workers, Congress had also appealed to students and social organizations to participate in the rally. Senior journalist Sharad Gupta considers the event important in this context.
According to him, the opposition has given a message to the government that it will continue public protest regarding its grievances.
He says that the opposition which was not able to put forward its demand inside the House, put it forward among the people through this event. He sees it as a boost to opposition politics.
But senior journalist Ramkripal Singh's question regarding this gathering is different.
According to him, crowds have been coming to opposition rallies earlier also. The real test is that after that crowd, how does the coordination between the parties progress and how much is Congress able to strengthen its position?
Will the support received in the rally become a political option?
According to senior journalist Ramkripal Singh, being angry with the government and accepting another party as its alternative are different things. The voter also sees whether the other party can do the work about which he has a complaint.
He said, "The question before the angry voter is that whom should he trust in place of the government with which he is dissatisfied? A rally can give voice to that anger, but it is equally important to build trust in an alternative."
In his opinion, anger against the government will be useful for Congress only when people start seeing it as an alternative. For this, Congress will have to increase its political and organizational strength. This work is not accomplished just by holding a rally or coming together with the leaders.
However, he also says that the role of Congress is important in providing an alternative to BJP at the national level.
According to him, the umbrella of a national party like BJP or Congress is necessary to bring together different parties and give a stable government for five years.
That is why he mentions Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal. In his opinion, without the strong position of Congress in these states, it will be difficult to pose a national challenge to BJP.
He believes that Congress should gain the power to give direction to the alliance instead of depending on its allies. In his argument, the national role of Congress and its own position in the states are linked to each other.
He said, "The question before the Congress is twofold. It has to voice its dissatisfaction against the government and at the same time it has to build confidence that it can become an alternative to the government."
How long will the unity of the platform last in the elections?
Many small and big constituent parties came together under the banner of India Alliance at the rally at Ramlila Maidan. Only Aam Aadmi Party was not present in it, which will soon contest elections to save its power in Punjab.
In such a situation, will the unity seen between these constituent parties on the stage survive in the elections? This when there have been reports of SP and Congress not being able to reach a consensus on seat sharing amid the UP elections?
On this, senior journalist Ramkripal Singh says that after leaving the stage, regional parties look after their state and political interests.
Coming together on a common issue is not as difficult for them as giving up seats in elections or accepting the leadership of the other party.
He emphasizes that just because leaders meet each other, they do not automatically get their voters. Therefore, the unity of the opposition will have to be judged not only by the faces present on the stage but also by the agreements and electoral coordination in the states.
He says that an example of electoral coordination has been found in Uttar Pradesh. He said, "Congress and Samajwadi Party had made an agreement on seats for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Under that, Congress got 17 seats. But this agreement for the Lok Sabha elections does not decide the distribution of seats in the upcoming UP Assembly elections."
Senior journalist Ramkripal Singh does not see any hope of easy agreement on seats between Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. His main question is how much space will the strong parties in their state leave for Congress.
On the contrary, senior journalist Sharad Gupta says that in the states where regional parties are strong, the national party will have to coordinate with them.
In his opinion, accepting a small role in a state does not mean that the national party can never strengthen its position in the future.
He gives the example of BJP, which played a smaller role than its allies in some states and later became a bigger party.
Senior journalist Sharad Gupta also makes reference to the departure of the BJP government from the Center in 2004 and its return to power in 2014.
In his logic, a party appearing weak for a time does not end its political prospects forever.
The balance of power in the relationship between BJP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra had also changed. Shiv Sena played a major role for a long time, whereas after the 2014 assembly elections, BJP emerged as the largest party.
Senior journalist Sharad Gupta argues that the strength of parties and their relationships change in politics. Therefore, the weakness of Congress in any state today should not be considered as a permanent condition of its future.
From common demand for resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar to common program
Opposition parties appeared together at Ramlila Maidan on a common demand against the Chief Election Commissioner. But is such a common demand and agreement on a common minimum program among these parties the same thing?
Senior journalist Sharad Gupta does not consider political differences as proof of the end of the alliance's chances.
According to him, competing parties in the state can come together on national issues. He sees the possibility of consensus on such issues in today's event.
He said that the two elections in Maharashtra show different aspects of these relationships.
"BJP and Shiv Sena had fought the 2014 assembly elections separately. In 2019, both fought together, but their alliance broke after the elections for the post of Chief Minister."
Even pre-election partnerships can take a different turn until the government is formed. The question before the Congress and its allies is to link their common opposition to further political coordination.
According to senior journalist Sharad Gupta, for this there will have to be a consensus between national and regional issues. Whereas in the assessment of senior journalist Ramkripal Singh, the role of Congress in such a consensus will increase only when its own strength increases.
What was said from the stage?
Amidst the unity seen in the rally, the issue of transparency of the electoral process and revision of the voter list came up prominently in the speeches of the opposition leaders.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said from the stage, "We will not let democracy end in India."
Rahul Gandhi raised questions on the electoral process and called it an issue of vote theft. The opposition says that the credibility of the electoral process may be affected due to alleged irregularities in the voter list.
Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He said, "Bharatiya Janata Party will no longer be able to lie in front of the country. The people of the country have understood both. Now Bharatiya Janata Party is the losing party."
Speaking to BBC News Hindi, Akhilesh Yadav said, "BJP had come to power in the country only through Uttar Pradesh, now it will go out through UP only."
It was being said from the stage to challenge BJP at the national level. At the same time, in Akhilesh Yadav's statement, there was emphasis on the role of Uttar Pradesh. The different assessments of the two senior journalists regarding the relationship between Congress and regional parties add to the question of what will be the political coordination of the states in the national challenge.
According to senior journalist Sharad Gupta, the alliance will have to make its own agenda. Regional parties will have their own issues as well as a common consensus on national issues.
In the eyes of senior journalist Ramkripal Singh, the role of Congress will become stronger only when it increases its strength in the states.
Question beyond the demand of SIR
The main issue of this rally of India Alliance was the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The opposition alleges that irregularities have taken place during the special intensive revision of the voter list and this raises questions about the fairness of the electoral process.
This protest started on October 2. After this, a rally was taken out till the Supreme Court on 12 October. This movement emerged as a big political demonstration with the mega rally held at Ramlila Maidan on November 1.
Opposition parties are calling it a fight to protect democracy and the Constitution. Some leaders have also called it the “second freedom movement”.
A day before this, Congress and its allies had passed a resolution demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner in a symbolic parliament at the residence of Mallikarjun Kharge. On Sunday, leaders and workers gathered at Ramlila Maidan with the same demand.
Senior journalist Sharad Gupta assesses that the opposition has been successful in conveying the message of its complaints regarding SIR to the people. He sees the reactions of BJP leaders as linked to their concern about this campaign.
According to Sharad Gupta, Congress and Rahul Gandhi are continuously active on this issue and this has strengthened the opposition politics. However, the further political impact will also be judged by the election results.
He also points out a confusion in this question.
Gupta says that the opposition is alleging that the elections are not fair. In such a situation, he also raises questions on considering the results of those elections as the criterion of his support.
On the other hand, senior journalist Ramkripal Singh's emphasis is on becoming an alternative to Congress.
According to him, people angry with the government should have confidence that Congress and its allies can answer their complaints. Therefore, political and organizational preparation after the rally is important for them.
Election Commission and BJP's stance on the allegations
The Election Commission and BJP have been continuously rejecting the opposition's allegations on the voter list and the electoral process.
The Election Commission, in its reply to the Supreme Court on October 26, had said that all the three orders related to SIR were issued with the consent of all the three members. The Commission said that the question or suggestion of any Commissioner is not a final decision in itself.
The Commission had also rejected the allegation of change in Form 6. Accordingly, the additional declaration for SIR is a separate document. No name is added, deleted or changed without the order of the concerned electoral registration officer.
BJP is raising questions on the opposition's campaign. Home Minister Amit Shah in Chandigarh on Sunday accused Rahul Gandhi of rubbing salt into the wounds of the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots by choosing the date of November 1. He also accused the opposition of creating anarchy, spreading misinformation and disrupting the proceedings of Parliament.
What questions remained after the rally?
For the people gathered at Ramlila Maidan, this rally was an opportunity to express their concern for their right to vote and the protection of democracy. The opposition is trying to make it a big movement.
Senior journalist Sharad Gupta considers this important in terms of the presence and activism of the opposition.
According to senior journalist Ramkripal Singh, the next task of Congress is to increase its strength and make the alliance an electoral option.
People around Ramlila Maidan were trying to estimate the crowd that had come for this rally. Many journalists were also discussing this.
Most believed that they had not seen such a crowd at a political rally in recent years.
As soon as Rahul Gandhi's speech ended, the rally ended and Ramlila Maidan became empty in the next few minutes.
The question left behind is whether the opposition will be successful in making vote theft an issue leading to electoral victory?
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
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