Leaders and workers from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress, National Conference, Left parties and several other political organisations attended the rally.
The Congress and Samajwadi Party had put their full organisational strength behind making the rally successful. The demonstration was organised against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, claims of vote theft and demands for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
The opposition parties have been opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. On September 24, CJP launched its 'Fix the Election Commission' campaign and demanded Gyanesh Kumar's resignation within 48 hours.
On October 2, CJP organised a major protest in Mumbai, while student organisations attempted to stage a demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Subsequently, the demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation emerged as a major issue.
CJP had also called for a major protest on October 10. However, when the INDIA bloc organised a large rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on November 1 with the same central demand, CJP's leadership remained absent.
On October 28, CJP had announced its support for the INDIA bloc rally. In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Deepke wrote, "Gyanesh has to go. CJP supports the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally. The nation comes first."
However, in a statement issued on Sunday, Deepke clarified, "We support the rally, but we will not participate in it."
He said CJP supported the issues raised at the rally but wanted to preserve its independent identity.
"We stand together, but CJP is an independent and neutral organisation, and we want to keep it that way," he said.
After meeting former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday, Deepke had said, "Anyone who fights against vote theft will have our support."
Although several CJP workers were present at Ramlila Maidan, none of the organisation's prominent leaders appeared on the stage or issued any statement during the rally.
A young woman who had participated in CJP's earlier protests told BBC News Hindi that she was associated with the organisation and had also attended the Ramlila Maidan rally.
"I am associated with CJP and have come to Ramlila Maidan today. You will find several other workers like me here. Our issue is the same," she said.
She added that CJP wanted changes in the system and that this was why young people like her felt connected to the organisation. She also argued that participating in a rally against vote theft did not amount to supporting any political party.
A man accompanying her told BBC News Hindi that only a limited number of people associated with CJP had attended the rally. However, some young activists who had consistently participated in protests were present.
CJP worker Mohammad Junaid, speaking to the media at Ramlila Maidan, rejected suggestions that the organisation had become inactive.
"CJP does not appear to be inactive. Many CJP workers and Gen-Z protesters have also come to Ramlila Maidan. We all have the same objective, and we stand together. CJP's strategy will become clear very soon, and an announcement will also be made shortly," he said.
Meanwhile, Neha Bora, president of the student organisation AISA, was present on the stage and addressed the gathering.
In an aggressive speech, Bora said, "Who are you to ask the people of India to prove their citizenship?"
Workers from several other student organisations were also present in large numbers at the rally.
The absence of CJP's leadership has raised a key question: Was staying away from the INDIA bloc rally a calculated strategy or a compulsion?
Senior journalist Vijay Trivedi believes both possibilities could explain CJP's decision.
"In my opinion, not appearing political is part of their strategy. You can call it a compulsion or a strategy; both possibilities exist," he said.
According to Trivedi, maintaining a separate identity is particularly important for CJP because its participation in protests against the Election Commission had earlier attracted criticism. The organisation had been accused of turning what was initially a non-political movement into a political one.
"When they first joined the movement and started speaking about the Election Commission, there was considerable criticism that it was a non-political movement. Earlier, they were not talking about politics, but now they had entered politics. Perhaps this was an attempt to avoid that allegation," Trivedi said.
However, he did not completely rule out the possibility that CJP might have faced pressure.
"It is also possible that there was some pressure from the government and they wanted to maintain their distance because of that," he said.
Trivedi believes CJP's biggest challenge is that its movement against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has not yet received widespread public support.
He pointed out that even the protests led by Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc against the Election Commission had failed to attract large numbers of ordinary people.
"Even in the movement led by Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc against the Election Commission, ordinary people are not joining in large numbers. Somewhere, the opposition has remained political. Sunday's rally was attended mainly by workers of political parties. Ordinary people were not present in comparable numbers," he said.
According to Trivedi, CJP needs more than an issue to expand its movement. It also requires an organisational structure and sustained public engagement.
"An organisation and a system are needed to bring people together. An issue alone is not enough. The Congress has an organisational system and managed to mobilise a crowd on this issue as well. CJP is still uncertain about whether it will be able to bring people together on this issue," he said.
Trivedi also believes that deciding how actively to pursue the demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation will not be easy for CJP.
"The biggest problem for them is that young people are associated with the organisation, but this issue is not attracting young people to the same extent. They will now be uncertain about how much support they would receive if they move forward," he said.
Senior journalist Aadesh Rawal believes another important reason for CJP's distance from the rally could be its reluctance to associate its identity with any political party or alliance at this stage.
"I think they do not want to be seen with any political party for now. If a situation develops in the future that leads to a major movement, they could face allegations that they had already taken one side," Rawal said.
According to Rawal, the INDIA bloc had also attempted to bring CJP on board.
He said CJP founder Abhijeet Deepke had been approached during a meeting of opposition parties led by Rahul Gandhi and an informal discussion over tea. However, the discussions could not progress at that time because of Deepke's arrest and other developments.
"Opposition parties have repeatedly been saying that this is one protest, not two separate protests. They do not want to give the impression that we are holding demonstrations at two different places," Rawal said.
He added that opposition parties had once again tried to involve CJP and welcomed its support, but the organisation decided to maintain its independent identity.
"Offering support is one thing. Going and sitting on the stage is another. Keeping the future of protest-based politics in mind, CJP is hesitant to join the INDIA bloc, and somewhere its strategy is also justified," he said.
CJP founder Abhijeet Deepke had earlier indicated that the organisation was preparing to resume protests after Diwali.
This has raised questions about whether CJP will continue its campaign demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
Vijay Trivedi believes the organisation may be considering its next steps on the issue, but it remains unclear how much public support it will receive.
Aadesh Rawal, meanwhile, says politics is a game of possibilities and the future of any movement cannot be predicted in advance.
To explain how movements can gain momentum, Rawal cited the July protest against paper leaks. According to him, the participation of young people and their parents had created significant pressure on the government.
"When the paper leak issue came up, every household was connected to it. Every parent was worried about their children. It was an issue that affected every household," Rawal said.
He believes the issue of vote theft is also connected to every household, but the same level of widespread public participation has not yet become visible.
Rawal also acknowledged CJP's role in taking its message to the younger generation. According to him, the organisation still has opportunities to expand its movement and remain relevant in the battle over the political narrative.
What Does CJP's Distance from the INDIA Bloc Rally Indicate?
Analysts believe that viewing CJP's absence from the INDIA bloc rally merely as non-participation would provide an incomplete understanding of the developments.
On one hand, the organisation has raised the demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and supported the INDIA bloc rally. On the other, it has deliberately avoided a visible presence on the stage.
Both Vijay Trivedi and Aadesh Rawal believe CJP is cautious about protecting its independent identity. The organisation appears keen to emerge as a protest movement that is not perceived as being aligned with any political party or alliance.
However, this approach also presents a challenge.
Trivedi said that keeping a movement effective over an extended period requires more than an issue and discussion on social media. It also needs widespread public support, an organisational structure and the ability to remain consistently active.
The INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan witnessed a significant presence of political party workers. However, questions remained over the participation of ordinary citizens.
CJP's decision to support the rally without joining its stage has therefore highlighted the organisation's attempt to balance its campaign against alleged vote theft with its independent political identity. Whether it can translate that position into a sustained movement demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation will depend on its ability to mobilise broader public support.
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