The INDIA bloc’s ‘March for Democracy’ is witnessing a massive mobilization effort by the Congress

On Saturday (October 10, 2026), as viral images of protests across Delhi flooded social media, with Jantar Mantar off limits and Delhi police making mass arrests, Congress workers across the country received calls from top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, to travel to the capital on Monday (October 12 and 2026) and the Indian National Alliance for the Development of India (2026) block) “March for Democracy”.

On Monday (October 12, 2026) afternoon, even before the buses carrying the INDIA bloc leaders left the Constitution Club, Congress flag bearers and flag bearers were waiting at intersections along the expected route of the procession.

Many of them, like former Haryana Youth Congress working president Mayank Chaudhary, arrived just in time for the march and avoided the police barricades. As he was coming down from Badkal in Haryana in a cavalcade of passenger cars, he said he came across five barricades. “There were our workers in each of the cars. To avoid being detained by the police, many of them got out in front of each barricade and walked a distance before getting back into the car,” he said.

Rapid mobilization

The Congress claimed that 2.5 million people took part in the march. Party general secretary (organization) KC Venugopal said it required “careful planning” and a renewed party machinery to pull it off.

“We have directed everyone to come to Delhi in their private vehicles and not hoist flags or banners. Despite all measures, many workers were detained at the Rajasthan-Haryana border, while others were picked up by the police from Delhi lodges at night. We have kept the doors of the party offices open so that the workers can stay and have asked all MPs to do the same,” Mr Venugopal said.

All members of Congress have been instructed to help workers find accommodation. Many MPs including Pramod Tiwari, Phulo Devi Netam, Jai Prakash, Karti Chidambaram, Jebi Mather and Dr. Kirsan Namdeo, opened the doors of its residences in Delhi for workers to sleep over.

In the last one year, 1,000 new District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents have been appointed under the party’s Sangathan Srijan programme. Around 130 DCCs within driving distance of Delhi across Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh mobilized people from their areas for the protest. This is in contrast to the old Congress system which relied only on the ability of individual leaders to draw crowds.

The organization of the Congress, Mr. Venugopal said, has changed drastically. “Within 48 hours we can mobilize our workers. You saw it in Delhi on Monday and you can see it in the states where we are continuing this campaign,” he added.

‘turning point’

Haryana and Rajasthan contributed the majority of the crowd. Sachin Pilot, the Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab, sees Monday’s march as a “turning point” in the narrative of “how Indian politics will move forward”.

“It is no longer just about SIR (Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls) or seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It is about the future of the country,” Mr Pilot said.

The march, he said, will act as a springboard for another round of local outreach. “We are going to every gram sabha and approaching every panchayat to meet those who have been excluded from the electoral rolls,” he added.

The mob that turned up on Monday, said Lok Sabha MP Deepender Hooda, was highly charged. Many stayed put long after the march ended.

“The anger is real. For example, the national vote gap between the Congress and the BJP is just 14,000. People are furious that they have been denied a choice due to the abuse of the electoral process. So it’s not just our workers who have turned up. Several ordinary citizens, angry over the issue, have joined the Congress workers on the streets,” Mr Hooda said.

Published – 13 Oct 2026 22:27 IST