Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged Delhi shopkeepers and traders to join nationwide protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the SIR, or voter re-verification exercise.“To every trader in Delhi: we love you and hear you. The government shut the Metro, sealed our roads, and locked down our capital. When a vote is stolen, nothing is safe – your shop, savings, children’s future… Tell Modi to sack Accused No 4 – Gyanesh Kumar – and the protests will stop in 30 seconds,” the Leader of the Opposition said.To every trader in Delhi: We love you and hear you.The Govt shut the metro, sealed our roads and locked down our capital.With a stolen vote nothing is safe – your shop, your savings, your children’s future.Tell Modi to sack accused no. 4, Gyanesh Kumar and the protests will stop in 30 seconds.दिल्ली के हर व्यापारी से: हम आपसे प्यार करते हैं, आपकी बात सुन रहे हैं।मेट्रो सरकार ने बंद की, सड़कें सरकार ने सील की, राजधानी पर ताला सरकार ने लगाया।जब वोट ही चोरी हो जाए, तो कुछ भी सुरक्षित नहीं – न आपकी दुकान, न आपकी बचत, न आपके बच्चों का भविष्य।मोदी जी से कहिए – आरोपी नंबर 4, ज्ञानेश कुमार को हटाएं, 30 सेकंड में आंदोलन रुक जाएगा।— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 26, 2026Gandhi’s callout to Delhi traders followed a stark message from the Chamber of Trade and Industry – that unless Gandhi postpones a political rally – to demand Kumar resign or be sacked – at the city’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1. The CTI said the rally could disrupt businesses – by as much as Rs 10,000 crore – before the festive season.Also Read | Part relief, some concerns: Traders react to shifting of protests from Jantar MantarCTI chief Brijesh Goyal wrote to Rahul Gandhi to make his point; Goyal said markets within a 5km-radius of the ground included popular shopping centres like Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazar, and Kashmere Gate, and that protests – and the police crackdown likely to follow – could deter pre-Dhanteras and Diwali shoppers.Also Read | ‘Rs 5-7 crore loss a day’: Khan Market traders on the cost of Delhi protestsGoyal also said shops in the national capital record roughly Rs 25,000 crore in sales across various sectors – gold and silver, electronics, clothing, utensils, dry fruits, sweets, automobiles, and gift items around Dhanteras, which is on Nov 6 this year.“If protests are held at Ramlila Maidan (and) barricading is done and Metro stations are closed… then the business of all these markets will be badly affected…”The plea follows red flag estimates from shops and business owners in Connaught Place – an upscale central Delhi shopping area. Reports indicate they lost significant revenue on days the Congress-led INDIA bloc, Abhijeet Dipke-founded Cockroach Janta Party, and Neha Bora’s All India Students Association protested there.Tensions between shop owners and protesters ran high during the CJP’s ‘Tiranga march’ on October 16, with sections of the former shouting slogans at the latter. And Gandhi’s measured and inclusive response to the CTI letter reflects that tightrope.Meanwhile, the Nov 1 protest at Ramlila Maidan will be the first at the ground since Jantar Mantar was denotified as a public protest site, in favour of three locations, including Ramlila, each further away from the historic 18th century observatory.