Indian opposition holds protest in national capital, seeks election chief’s resignation - Anadolu Ajansı

Dozens of Indian opposition lawmakers on Tuesday held a protest march in the capital New Delhi, demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner over the deletion of voters from electoral rolls.

India has witnessed protests by opposition parties following a report last month that two election commissioners had raised concerns with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over decisions related to the revision of voter lists, an exercise that began last year.

The voter-list revision exercise began last year and has since been rolled out in multiple states. The opposition alleges that the process removed a large number of voters.

Several leaders from different parties, including the main opposition Indian National Congress, participated in Tuesday’s protest march.

Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge joined the protest and said demonstrations would continue.

“We are doing this to protect your vote and your freedom,” he told reporters.

“It is not just the people of the INDIA bloc who are here; everyone has gathered here because they feel that their vote is being taken away and their freedom is being lost,” he said.

The INDIA alliance, which includes more than a dozen opposition parties, has announced further protests in the coming days over the issue.

Hundreds of security personnel were deployed in the area Tuesday, with barricades installed around the protest site in New Delhi.

Television footage showed Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi managing to reach near the Election Commission office.

The Congress party wrote on US social media platform X that no vote can be stolen and no vote can be silenced. “If the Modi govt thinks it can stop us, it is wrong. We will fight for every citizen’s right to vote, and Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign,” the party said.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, however, accused the Congress of “trying to create anarchy” in the country by using the Election Commission.

Party spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra said Tuesday that “misinformation and fake news” were being spread over the special intensive revision of the voter list.

As the protest continued, opposition lawmakers said they had been detained and prevented from reaching the Election Commission office.

“We are being detained and taken to an unknown location,” Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose wrote on X. “Members of Parliament are being taken to an undisclosed location.”

Last week, hundreds of protesters were detained in the capital as the newly founded Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched a protest demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner.

Amid the controversy, India’s Supreme Court on Monday heard petitions challenging the functioning of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

India’s last general election was held in 2024, with the next polls due in 2029.