Indian opposition rallies again in Delhi, demanding head of electoral commission resign

The Indian opposition alliance INDIA returned to the streets of New Delhi on Sunday, renewing its demand for the resignation of the country’s electoral chief.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered at Ramlila Maidan, a large public square, to voice their dissent against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, headed the march. He was joined by supporters of the Cucaracha youth movement, which has become a major force in challenging Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

The protesters chanted slogans against central government policies and waved flags. Some carried musical instruments, turning the gathering into a loud display of public disagreement.

The rally took place at Ramlila Maidan after police removed Jantar Mantar from the list of officially designated protest sites last month. Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory, had long served as the primary location for demonstrations in the capital.

Security forces deployed thousands of police officers and paramilitary soldiers to manage the event. Officials said they activated a wide surveillance operation that included more than 200 security cameras, drones, and body cams along the protest route.

The central issue remains the ongoing revision of voter lists. This process has eliminated more than 130 million names from the rolls since last year. Critics argue the exercise is politically motivated and threatens to strip millions of people of their voting rights.

Opposition leaders claim the revision has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims. They have called for the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the chief electoral commissioner, citing a controversial handling of the voter roll updates.

The Election Commission and the Modi government deny these accusations. They state that the revision aims to remove duplicate and ineligible entries from the voter lists to ensure accuracy.

Human Rights Watch raised concerns about the process on Thursday. Elaine Pearson, the group’s Asia director, said in a statement that the revision casts serious doubts on the impartiality of future elections in India.

Pearson urged authorities to immediately stop the voter list revision process. She noted that it has already denied some of India’s most marginalized people their right to vote and access to other government services.

The call for Kumar’s resignation has become a rallying cry for opposition parties and Cucaracha supporters over the past several weeks. The movement seeks to challenge the Hindu nationalist rule of the BJP under Modi’s leadership.