Only 4 of 27 bookings since 2024: Few protesters, political parties favour Ramlila Maidan, shows MCD data

Ramlila Grounds have seen 27 bookings between January 2024 and September 2026, only four of which were for protests and demonstrations.

Ramlila Maidan, which has seen some historic rallies and hosted protests on a grandiose scale from the 1950s, has had few takers over the past few years, as there have been only 27 bookings between January 2024 and September 2026, and only four of them were for protests and demonstrations, according to data shared by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

A view of Ramlila Maidan, designated as a protest site along with two news venues, Burari Ground (North Delhi) and CBD Ground (East Delhi), following the de-notification of Jantar Mantar Road by the Delhi Police. (PTI)

Among the rest, it was booked nine times for political rallies and public meetings in these three years, as per the data. The MCD manages the 10-acre ground, half of which is utilised for parking and half is currently booked for the Ramlila fair.

To be sure, the Ramlila Ground was designated a protest site for an expected footfall of 1,000 to 50,000 protesters, as per a standing order issued by Delhi Police. The fresh notification has led to multiple traders’ bodies and transport unions urging the government to reconsider notifying the Ramlila Ground as a protest site.

An official with the MCD said, “Half of the Ramlila Maidan is being used for parking space for heavy vehicles and the remaining half is open for booking. We do not offer a small section or parts of Ramlila Ground to be booked. People can only book the entire section.”

Among historic protests held here are Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s Satyagraha in 1952, seeking complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India, Jayaprakash Narayan’s Anti-Emergency protest rally in 1975 and Anna Hazare’s Anti-Corruption Movement in 2011.

In the past three years, LIC agents held a peaceful protest in March 2025, and Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Manch held a protest in July 2025, besides other protests by teachers and aspirants. Political parties have maintained a distance from the historic assembly ground.

The MCD report shows that nine bookings for political rallies were made by the People’s Party of India, Communist Party of India, Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Mahasabha, National Conference, and once each by the Aam Aadmi Party and the All India Congress Committee, among others.

Price to pay

Located around four kilometres from Jantar Mantar, Ramlila Maidan is the closest of the three designated venues to Lutyens’ Delhi. But access there comes at a cost, and its availability will be severely limited during the festive season.

The senior MCD official cited above said booking the 12-acre venue costs ₹50,000 a day, along with a refundable security deposit of ₹55,000. Applicants must also obtain a no-objection certificate from the Delhi Traffic Police.

The requirement to book it could prove a hurdle for smaller groups that do not need such a large space. Unlike the tree-lined stretch at Jantar Mantar, the open ground offers little shade, potentially making prolonged demonstrations difficult in hot weather.

Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh on Tuesday submitted a representation seeking reconsideration of Ramlila Maidan as a designated protest venue in “view of public safety, communal sensitivity, hospital Access, Law & Order Challenges and possible disruption of Delhi’s wholesale trade.”

New Delhi Traders Association, Chamber of Trade and Industries, and All India Transporters and Goods Association, among others, have written to argue against the site. “NDTA welcomes this practical decision of the Govt to shift the designated protest site from Jantar Mantar ...Ramlila Maidan may however be Re-considered, being next to Old Delhi Market areas,” NDTA said in a statement.