NEW DELHI — The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) in Delhi has officially appealed to senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to step in and postpone the INDIA bloc's upcoming mega rally, currently scheduled for November 1 at Ramlila Maidan.  The trad

NEW DELHI — The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) in Delhi has officially appealed to senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to step in and postpone the INDIA bloc's upcoming mega rally, currently scheduled for November 1 at Ramlila Maidan. The trade body turned to the Congress matriarch after reportedly making three unsuccessful attempts to persuade Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to reschedule the event. Representatives from the CTI expressed severe concern that the political gathering could trigger massive financial losses and paralyze festive trade right before Diwali. Huge Business Losses at Stake According to the CTI, the peak festive shopping window is vital for the city's commercial health, with Dhanteras falling on November 6 and Diwali on November 8. The trade body estimates that the mega rally could severely disrupt business worth between ₹10,000 crore and ₹12,000 crore across 20 major wholesale and retail markets in the national capital. Impacted business hubs include prominent commercial centers like Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, and Khari Baoli. Traders point out that November 1 is a critical day for transporting festive goods into the city and a high-volume day for shoppers. Fears of a "Lockdown-Like Gridlock" Organizers expect the rally—which is being organized to protest alleged electoral roll irregularities—to attract close to 10 lakh people and 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles into central Delhi. CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal warned that a gathering of this scale would trigger extreme traffic congestion, extensive barricading, and potential metro station closures. Goyal stated that the resulting bottlenecks could cause a total gridlock "akin to a lockdown," completely halting the movement of essential goods and discouraging shoppers from visiting the markets. Traders Propose Alternative Solutions The CTI clarified that their appeal is not a political protest against the rally itself, but rather a direct measure to protect local livelihoods during the most critical retail season of the year. In its letter to Sonia Gandhi, the CTI has requested that the rally be deferred until after November 10, once the heavy Diwali trading rush has concluded. Alternatively, the trade body suggested shifting the venue from Ramlila Maidan to Burari Ground, noting that the latter offers better space capabilities and can comfortably accommodate parking for up to 15,000 vehicles without paralyzing central Delhi's core trade infrastructure.