New Delhi (India), Nov. 1 (LaPresse) – On Sunday, Indian opposition parties renewed calls for the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner, organising fresh protests in the latest display of public dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The demonstration, called by the INDIA opposition bloc, attracted thousands of protesters, some carrying musical instruments and waving various flags while chanting slogans against the central government’s policies. Several opposition parties belonging to the alliance, formed in 2023 to oust Modi, mobilised their supporters from different states for the demonstration, which comes just weeks after a police crackdown on protesters in New Delhi. Led by Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition party, the Congress Party, and backed by the youth movement “Cockroach”, the protesters called for the protection of Indian democracy while demanding the resignation of Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar following a controversial revision of voter lists. The demonstrators gathered at Ramlila Maidan, a large public square in New Delhi, after police removed Jantar Mantar from the list of officially designated protest sites last month. The historic observatory had long been the capital’s main protest venue. Authorities deployed thousands of police officers and paramilitary troops and put extensive surveillance measures in place, with more than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body cameras deployed at the site and along the demonstration route, according to officials. The ongoing revision of voter lists has resulted in more than 130 million names being removed since last year. Critics argue that the operation is politically motivated, risks disenfranchising millions more people and has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims. The Election Commission and Modi’s administration deny the allegations, stating that the revision is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.
India: new protest against election commission chief over voter roll revision
New Delhi (India), Nov. 1 (LaPresse) – On Sunday, Indian opposition parties renewed calls for the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner, organising fresh protests in the latest display of public dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The demonstration, called by the INDIA opposition bloc, attracted thousands of protesters, some carrying musical instruments and waving various flags while chanting slogans against the central government’s policies. Several opposition parties belonging to the alliance, formed in 2023 to oust Modi, mobilised their supporters from different states for the demonstration, which comes just weeks after a police crackdown on protesters in New Delhi. Led by Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition party, the Congress Party, and backed by the youth movement “Cockroach”, the protesters called for the protection of Indian democracy while demanding the resignation of Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar following a controversial revision of voter lists. The demonstrators gathered at Ramlila Maidan, a large public square in New Delhi, after police removed Jantar Mantar from the list of officially designated protest sites last month. The historic observatory had long been the capital’s main protest venue. Authorities deployed thousands of police officers and paramilitary troops and put extensive surveillance measures in place, with more than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body cameras deployed at the site and along the demonstration route, according to officials. The ongoing revision of voter lists has resulted in more than 130 million names being removed since last year. Critics argue that the operation is politically motivated, risks disenfranchising millions more people and has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims. The Election Commission and Modi’s administration deny the allegations, stating that the revision is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.