Stage Set for Opposition Rally at Ram Lila Maidan: Police on High Alert

All is set for the INDIA bloc’s, mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday. Congress activists from different states and those who represent the alliance parties have started reaching Delhi for a show of strength, demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Final touches for the main stage are being given, and a large tricolour canopy has been erected. The large tricolour tent over the main stage is for senior opposition leaders, while a second stage is being arranged for representatives of INDIA bloc state units. Rows of white canopy tents have been put up, metal barricades installed to regulate movement, and temporary platforms assembled, while trucks have been bringing in chairs and other material

It is learnt that the opposition party leaders and cadre will march from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan, though they had neither sought permission nor has it been given by the police. The Congress and opposition parties feel that student groups and civil society organisations would also join them in the rally. The Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee are also likely to attend the rally.

However, the CJP is unlikely to participate in the rally at Ramlila Maidan. It is not clear whether Neha Bohra, the new poster girl of the Congress party, would attend or not.

The CJP reiterated its demand for Kumar's resignation and said it would stand with organisations fighting for free and fair elections. But it did not confirm that it would be on stage with the opposition bloc,

The INDIA bloc has appealed to students, youth, women, workers and civil society members to join the demonstration, while the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student organisations have also extended support.

The march, named 'Chalo Dilli', will begin at noon from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction and culminate at Ramlila Maidan, where the rally is scheduled from 10 am to 5 pm. Leaders of the INDIA bloc are expected to travel in open buses from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence to the starting point of the march.

On the other hand, Delhi Police has said permission has been granted for the rally at Ramlila Maidan, but no application has been received for the proposed procession from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction.

Separate entry gates and enclosures are being arranged for different categories of attendees. Organisers have been asked to deploy volunteers to regulate the crowd, arrange drinking water and separate toilets for women, and coordinate parking with traffic police. Overnight stay at the venue is not permitted.

The INDIA bloc leaders have said they are expecting a turnout of up to 10 lakh people, while Delhi Police expects around 50,000.

Officials estimate that Ramlila Maidan can accommodate 45,000 to 50,000 people when empty, but the capacity would come down to around 30,000 to 40,000 with chairs, enclosures and designated passageways in place. Space will be kept outside the ground to manage any crowd spillover.

More than 4,000 police personnel, along with Central Armed Police Forces companies, will be deployed for security and crowd management along the march route and at the venue. Ramlila Maidan has been divided into 14 zones, each supervised by an officer of assistant commissioner rank. More than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body-worn cameras will be used for surveillance, with a control room set up inside the ground.

Traffic restrictions will also be in place across parts of Delhi from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Diversions are planned at key intersections, including ITO, Delhi Gate, Rajghat, Ajmeri Gate and Turkman Gate. Commuters have been advised to avoid stretches around Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Minto Road and Desh Bandhu Gupta Road. Special arrangements will be made to ensure the movement of ambulances and emergency vehicles towards LNJP and GB Pant hospitals. Passengers travelling to New Delhi Railway Station have also been advised to plan their journeys in advance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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