Kalahandi (Lingaraj Mishra): A rally by the ‘INDIA’ block was held on Monday at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, demanding the cancellation of the Electoral Bonds Scheme and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Major opposition parties participated in this rally. It is reported that a crowd of 10 lakh people gathered at the event. Responding to a call by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das and under the leadership of Bhawanipatna Sadar MLA Sagar Charan Das, over 100 Congress office-bearers and workers participated in this agitation. The participants included Kalahandi District President Jalandhar Naik, Bhawanipatna Block President Subas Padhan, Rampur Block President Rudra Narayan Singh, District General Secretary Niraj Sharma, the Student Congress President, Tuleswar Naik (from Junagarh), and Bijay Deep (from Kesinga), among others. The Ram Leela Ground resonated with the slogans: “Remove Gyanesh, Save Your Vote, Save the Nation.” In view of the massive rally in Delhi, the Delhi Police had made elaborate arrangements to manage traffic and maintain law and order.
While traders in Delhi had requested Rahul Gandhi to postpone the rally, citing the approaching Diwali festival, Rahul stated that the rally would no longer be necessary if Gyanesh Kumar resigned. Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the ‘INDIA’ block has three primary demands: first, the cancellation of the SIR across the country; second, the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar; and third, the reintroduction of ballot papers in place of EVMs for all elections in the country.
