Ramlila Maidan Rally Under Scanner: BJP Alleges Exaggeration

The BJP has raised questions about the crowd size at the INDIA bloc rally held at Ramlila Maidan, alleging that the Congress exaggerated the turnout. National spokesperson Sambit Patra made the remarks at a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday.

According to Patra, the Congress had claimed that more than 10 lakh people reached the venue. Yet the arrangements made at the ground covered only about 28,000 chairs, of which between 5,000 and 7,000 were vacant. He said this gap made the party's claims look unconvincing.

The spokesperson gave details of the venue's size, saying the Ramlila Maidan extends across 10 to 12 acres. Around 15 percent of this area was occupied by the stage and the D-area in front of it. Patra said nearly 40 percent of the ground was entirely empty, with neither chairs nor people.

Patra also turned his attention to the Congress's position on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He said the party was making claims about voter names being removed without first providing a clear account of its own assertions and the realities on the ground.

He questioned Rahul Gandhi's call for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who had described the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as illegal. Patra said Kumar took office in February 2025, after those elections had already taken place.

According to Patra, if the 2024 polls were indeed illegal, then Rahul Gandhi's position as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, which also stems from that election, would be open to question. He added that any complaint about irregularities should have been taken to court without delay.

Patra said the rally had shown the difference between image and substance. He insisted that leadership comes from hard work, struggle and public trust rather than from photographs and claims, and said that the party needed to answer these questions before making new allegations.