Thousands of demonstrators gathered in New Delhi on Sunday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Indian National Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi led the march. It was the latest action in more than a month of protests.
Protesters challenged the recent revision of electoral rolls and the conduct of the election chief. Opposition parties alleged the revision removed more than 130 million names from voter lists. They claimed the process disproportionately affected Muslims and other minorities considered unlikely to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Election Commission has denied favouring any political party. The commission stated that voters whose names were wrongly removed may register again.
Ahead of the march, officials increased security measures and announced traffic diversions. Demonstrators moved from central New Delhi towards the historic Ramlila Maidan ground.
Hundreds of police officers, including units carrying batons and shields, deployed around the rally site. Riot-control vehicles stood nearby as participants waved Indian and party flags. Opposition leaders travelled along the route in an open-top jeep.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party defended the electoral procedures and accused critics of undermining democracy. Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda dismissed the demonstration during an interview with the ANI news agency.
“What is unfolding today at Ramlila Maidan is not an act of respect for democracy,” Nadda told ANI. “It is a calculated conspiracy to plunge the nation into anarchy, all in the name of democracy.”
Opposition parties, student organisations and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have held near-daily demonstrations since late September. The movement began after Kumar’s two deputies raised concerns regarding voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.
Political analysts described the protests and growing opposition support as the most serious political crisis for Modi since he took office in 2014. India’s next general election is due in 2029.
