India’s capital New Delhi witnessed mass protests on Sunday, with thousands of people led by opposition figures demanding the resignation of the country’s election chief over a sweeping review of voter lists. The opposition accuses the authorities of manipulating the lists to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Indian authorities stepped up security measures across New Delhi. Footage broadcast by Indian news agency ANI showed dozens of police officers equipped with shields and batons, along with riot-control vehicles, deployed around the protest site at Ramlila Maidan in the capital.
The demonstration was the latest in a series of near-daily protests organized by opposition parties, student organizations and the youth-led “Cockroach Janta” movement since late September. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar.
Major March in the Capital
Opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the march from central New Delhi toward Ramlila Maidan, one of the capital’s largest open gathering spaces. Participants chanted slogans calling for the election chief to step down, according to The Times of India.
Opposition parties had expected hundreds of thousands of people to participate in the march and protest rally led by Rahul Gandhi. They described the mobilization as a major challenge to Modi’s government and his party amid growing criticism over the integrity of electoral procedures, according to The Guardian.
Among the thousands waiting for the protesters at Ramlila Maidan was Reena Mahto, a member of the student wing of the Indian National Congress. She said four members of her family had been removed from the voter list based on the false claim that they had moved elsewhere.
Speaking to Reuters, she said her family had lived for a long time in the central state of Chhattisgarh but had suddenly been classified as having moved away from their home. “There must be accountability, and we are here to demand it,” she said.
Security Preparations and Warnings
Hundreds of security personnel, some carrying batons and shields, surrounded the historic Ramlila Maidan alongside riot-control vehicles as hundreds of people began heading toward the site, many waving national and party flags.
Delhi traffic police had anticipated a large turnout at the protest site and said traffic restrictions and diversions would be imposed on several roads depending on security and organizational requirements.
Police official Rohit Rajbir told the Indian news agency that participants had already begun arriving at the gathering site. He said necessary arrangements had been made at the protest venue and along the march route, which would run for approximately 1.5 kilometers from central New Delhi to Ramlila Maidan.
India has witnessed near-daily protests since last month, organized by opposition parties, student organizations and youth groups, including the “Cockroach” movement, demanding the resignation of the election chief over changes made to voter lists.
Changes to Voter Lists
The protests intensified following a report published by The Indian Express in September, which revealed that two deputy election commissioners had raised internal concerns about the review of voter lists, registration procedures and the digital systems used in the process.
The review process began last year and resulted in the removal of more than 130 million names from voter lists, including 28 million people reported as deceased, 63 million who had moved to other areas and 30 million whose whereabouts could not be verified.
Opposition parties accuse electoral authorities of disproportionately removing the names of Muslim voters and members of other minorities who are considered less likely to vote for the ruling Hindu nationalist party. The Election Commission and the ruling party deny the allegations.
One protester, 46-year-old Nandita, told Agence France-Presse that she was “shocked” to find her name removed from the voter lists despite having voted since she turned 18. She added that rising living costs and changing conditions were pushing citizens to engage in peaceful protests.
The Election Commission, meanwhile, denied being biased toward any political party and said voters whose names had been removed by mistake could re-register their details. The ruling party accused its opponents of undermining democracy by questioning electoral procedures that it described as legitimate.
The Guardian quoted analysts as saying that the youth-led protests and growing support for the opposition represented the biggest crisis Modi has faced since coming to power in 2014, despite the continued stability of his government and the fact that the next general election is not due until 2029.
