Vote chori: Delhi Police allows Cong to hold rally at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November

• Delhi Police issues an NOC for the Congress rally at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November.

• The rally is part of the INDIA bloc's planned campaign against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

• The police says it is coordinating with organisers and other agencies for security and traffic management.

The Delhi Police has granted permission to the Congress to hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November, issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the event, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

Deputy commissioner of police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said the Congress had approached the police for the requisite clearance. The NOC permits the rally at the designated protest site between 25 October and 3 November.

The police said it was coordinating with the organisers, traffic police and other concerned agencies to ensure adequate security arrangements, manage traffic and facilitate the smooth conduct of the rally.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had announced plans for a mega rally in Delhi on 1 November after a meeting of the INDIA bloc on 30 September.

The opposition alliance had finalised a joint action plan over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including rallies and “Save Democracy” marches.

Kharge had also said that the alliance's parties agreed that elections should be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The INDIA bloc meeting took place amid controversy over the SIR process and reported differences within the Election Commission of India.

The Indian Express had reported that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on record at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR that they said had been issued without their knowledge or recommendation.

The Election Commission has maintained that differing views and observations are normal in institutional deliberations and that its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.