New Delhi, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Delhi traders have urged Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee to persuade the Congress to defer the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan until November 10, citing the potential loss of business during the Diwali shopping season.
A representative of the Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders’ Association said traders had written to the opposition leaders, seeking a postponement to ensure that festive-season business was not disrupted.
In a letter to Akhilesh Yadav, a traders’ association said wholesalers had suffered business losses worth Rs 3,000 crore due to protests and traffic disruptions in September and October. Traders, it added, did not want a similar disruption during the ongoing Diwali business season.
“A big rally at the peak of the Diwali shopping season may inflict a loss of more than Rs 10,000 crore on Delhi traders,” the Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders’ Association said. It added that wholesale markets in the national capital typically conduct business worth Rs 25,000 crore between Dhanteras and Diwali.
The Kirana Committee Delhi has also written identical letters to Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee, warning that the proposed rally could directly affect trade in at least 20 wholesale markets located within a five-kilometre radius of Ramlila Maidan, the venue for the INDIA bloc event.
The rally has been called to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and protest against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“Our humble request is to postpone this protest for a few days, until after Diwali. Political events can be rescheduled, but it’s impossible to compensate for lost sales during the most important trading season of the year,” the committee said in its letter.
It stressed that the livelihoods of millions of small businesses and workers should not be sacrificed for political reasons.
“We are confident that the parties in the INDIA alliance will understand the gravity of this situation and convey these concerns to the Congress leadership,” said the letter written by Ganga Bishan Gupta, president of Kirana Committee Delhi, which is based in Khari Baoli near Chandni Chowk.
“We once again urge you to persuade the Congress to hold the November 1 rally after November 10 so that the traders and workers of Delhi can complete their festive season business activities without any disruption,” the letter added.
The committee reiterated its appeal, saying it was confident that the opposition leaders would convey the concerns of Delhi’s trading community to the Congress leadership and help protect livelihoods during the crucial festive period.
“We hope that the concerns of Delhi’s business community will be heard and the livelihoods of millions will be prioritised over political agendas,” the letter said.
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