Thousands of demonstrators across India have participated in multi-day protests calling for the resignation of Election Commission of India chief Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrations began on Friday and continued through the weekend, with major rallies in Mumbai and New Delhi drawing opposition figures and youth-led activist groups.
Protesters contend that voter-roll revisions overseen by Kumar have resulted in the removal of millions of eligible voters from electoral lists, potentially benefiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The election commission and ruling party have both rejected these assertions, with the ECI stating that the revisions are intended to eliminate duplicate entries, deceased voters, and ineligible registrations to ensure electoral integrity.
In Mumbai on Sunday, thousands gathered behind opposition leaders Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, who called for Kumar to step down. Thackeray addressed the crowd with remarks criticizing the government’s exercise of power, emphasizing that voters should determine electoral outcomes rather than institutional bodies. Meanwhile, protests in New Delhi have faced police intervention, with authorities reportedly detaining demonstrators as they arrived and registering cases against some participants for violating prohibitions on mass assemblies in the capital’s center.
The election commission announced on Friday that it would direct officials to register eligible voters who were inadvertently omitted from electoral rolls. Kumar has not issued a public response to the resignation demands or commented on the ongoing demonstrations.
Opposition parties plan to escalate their response, with an alliance scheduled to march to the election commission office on Tuesday. The Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party has announced a major rally for October 10 in New Delhi, with organizers urging broad public participation in what they characterize as efforts to safeguard democratic processes.
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