The road outside Statesman House was unusually quiet on Tuesday morning. It was difficult to imagine that just a day earlier, the same stretch had been crowded with protesters marching towards the Supreme Court, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over revisions to electoral rolls.
The march, led by the Opposition INDIA bloc, came amid concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Protests, heavy police deployment and traffic restrictions disrupted movement across parts of central Delhi. By Tuesday, the streets had grown quieter, but uncertainty continued to weigh on businesses and daily wage earners.
I visited Connaught Place (CP) to understand how the protests and restrictions had affected shopkeepers, roadside vendors, cab drivers and others whose livelihoods depend on daily customer movement.
Different Businesses, Different Experiences
My first stop was Haldiram’s in the heart of Connaught Place. The staff were cautious when I asked to speak to the manager. After asking me to wait and offering coffee, they eventually said the store could not comment at that time. A supervisor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the outlet had not noticed much difference in business.
At Kake Da Hotel, another popular establishment, the manager was unavailable. A staff member, who also requested anonymity, offered a different account, saying business had suffered on Monday as customer footfall declined amid the protests and restrictions.
The contrasting responses suggested that the impact was not uniform. However, as I walked through the area, it became clear that the disruption extended beyond restaurant sales and retail footfall.
When the Word ‘Protest’ Changed the Conversation
In several interactions, mentioning the word “protest” appeared to make people uncomfortable. Some politely declined to speak, while others became guarded or hesitant.
It was difficult to determine whether their reluctance stemmed from the sensitivity of the issue or uncertainty about the situation. Yet the hesitation was noticeable.
For those trying to run businesses, the protests were not simply a political issue to discuss. They had become a practical concern affecting their daily work, earnings and ability to operate normally.
The anxiety was particularly evident among roadside vendors.
‘Bhaiya, Humko Protest Nahi Karna’
Around Connaught Place, I approached vendors selling mobile covers, screen guards, socks, handkerchiefs and other small items. Many depend on daily sales to support themselves and their families.
Some appeared reluctant to put out their merchandise, fearing that officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) or the police might confiscate their goods.
A few seemed unsure about my identity and the purpose of my questions. Their apprehension was understandable: for vendors whose entire stock is displayed on a pavement, losing their goods could mean losing both their investment and their day’s earnings.
Their anxious responses could almost have been turned into memes. “Bhaiya, humko protest nahi karna” — brother, we do not want to protest — captured the sentiment behind their attempts to explain themselves.
There was an irony to the situation. I had approached them to understand how the protests were affecting their livelihoods, but some appeared concerned that I might have the authority to remove their merchandise.
Beneath the humour lay a more serious reality. These vendors were not necessarily connected to the protests. They were simply trying to sell everyday goods. Yet even setting up their stalls had become a source of anxiety.
Their fear of confiscation did not mean that their goods had actually been seized. But their apprehension offered a glimpse into the uncertainty surrounding their working conditions.
When Crowds Do Not Translate into Customers
Outside Statesman House, a vendor selling gulab jamun, rasgulla, halwa and other sweets said his products usually sold out on a normal day. On Monday, however, he was left with unsold stock.
When I asked to try some sweets, he requested that I wait because the existing stock was no longer fresh. Freshly prepared rasgullas arrived shortly afterwards, and he offered me those instead.
The exchange highlighted a particular challenge for sellers of perishable goods. Unlike shopkeepers who can store merchandise for future sales, vendors selling prepared food have limited time to sell their products. A day of poor business can leave them with stock that cannot simply be carried over to the next day.
At one point, the vendor asked whether I thought the protests were right or wrong. Rather than answer, I asked for his opinion.
His response was direct: regardless of whether the protests were right or wrong, they were bad for business.
For him, the immediate concern was not the political debate but whether customers would arrive, whether he could sell his products and whether he would earn enough to get through the day.
A Gift Shop Struggles Ahead of the Festive Season
At Giggles, a gift shop in E Block that has been operating for 15 years, owner Gauravjeet Kochar described the impact as severe.
He said the shop had been forced to close on Saturday and Sunday, traditionally important days for business. Monday brought little relief as customers stayed away amid uncertainty over accessibility, traffic congestion and further protests.
“We were forced to close down on Saturday, which is a big business day for us. Sunday we were also closed,” Kochar said.
He added that many customers were unsure whether Connaught Place would remain accessible.
“Monday no one showed up because they felt that there’s still a confusion and there’ll be traffic jams and protests, which there were,” he said.
According to Kochar, the business had recorded no sales over three days, even as expenses such as rent, salaries and electricity bills continued to accumulate.
“In the last three days it’s been dreadful, as there have been no sales at all,” he said.
His concerns were heightened by the approaching Diwali season, which is usually an important period for gift retailers because of corporate orders and purchases for friends and family.
“We are hopeful that people will still come back, but we are very close to Diwali. It’s only one month away. It’s one of our biggest shopping seasons,” Kochar said.
For businesses dependent on physical shoppers, uncertainty can have consequences beyond the immediate disruption. Customers may choose alternative shopping destinations if they believe a particular market will be difficult to reach.
Even after roads reopen and restrictions ease, convincing those customers to return may take time.
Cab Drivers Feel the Impact
The slowdown was also affecting people who rely on transport services for their income.
Cab driver Sudheesh Kumar Yadav said restrictions and closures in some areas had made it increasingly difficult to find passengers.
Before the disruption, he would generally receive a ride every 10 to 15 minutes while operating in and around the area. Now, he said, waiting times had increased considerably.
“Today, we have to wait for 1–1.5 hours. But we are not getting a ride,” Yadav said.
He estimated that his daily earnings, which could normally reach around ₹1,000, had fallen to ₹400–500 during the disruption.
“If you consider that some areas are closed, then it is difficult to get ₹400–500 per day,” he said.
For cab drivers, the problem is not simply whether a road is busy or empty. Restrictions, diversions and uncertainty can make it harder to reach passengers and complete trips. Even in a commercial hub, earning a living becomes difficult when movement is disrupted.
Traders Raise Concerns Across Delhi
The concerns extended beyond Connaught Place. Brijesh Goyal, chairman of the Chamber of Trade & Industry (CTI), told me over the phone that traders had reported reduced footfall in Connaught Place, Janpath and other major markets across Delhi.
According to Goyal, uncertainty surrounding travel, road closures and transport disruptions had discouraged people from going out. He also cited disruptions to metro services and difficulties in identifying accessible routes as factors affecting customer movement.
Goyal estimated that the disruption had caused losses of around ₹2,000 crore over three days across Delhi’s retail and services sectors, including petrol pumps, hotels and restaurants.
This figure is an estimate provided by the trade body representative and has not been independently verified.
Nevertheless, his account reflects the concerns of traders who depend on regular customer movement. When people are uncertain about whether they can reach a market conveniently, many may decide to postpone shopping or visit other areas.
The timing was another concern. Businesses were looking towards Navratri and the run-up to the festive season to attract customers and improve sales.
Different Livelihoods, One Common Uncertainty
By the end of my conversations with shop staff, vendors, a gift shop owner and a cab driver, it was clear that there was no single account of the protests’ economic impact.
Haldiram’s reported little change in business, while a staff member at Kake Da Hotel described a decline in footfall. Giggles’ owner reported three days without sales, a cab driver spoke of sharply reduced earnings, and roadside vendors worried about whether they could safely display their goods.
A sweet seller, meanwhile, was left with products that would ordinarily have sold out.
Their experiences differed, but they shared one common dependency: the freedom of customers to move around and spend money.
The quiet stretch outside Statesman House on Tuesday morning offered a striking contrast to the crowds that had gathered the previous day. As the city returned to a quieter rhythm, the effects of the disruption remained visible in the accounts of those trying to earn a living.
For some, it meant temporary closures. For others, fewer customers, longer waits for rides or perishable goods left unsold. For the smallest vendors, even setting up a stall came with the fear of losing their merchandise.
The sweet seller’s words stayed with me: whether the protests were right or wrong, they were bad for business.
It was not a political verdict. It was a statement about his livelihood.
The same street can represent different things to different people: a place to protest for some, a destination for shoppers for others, and a workplace for those whose daily earnings depend on the city continuing to move.