Today, tens of thousands of people took part in a protest in India’s capital. The demonstration was organised by opposition politicians, renewing calls for the resignation of the country’s Election Commission chief, Gyanesh Kumar, over a revision of the electoral roll which, they argue, unfairly benefits the ruling party.
This was reported by France24.
A nationwide revision of the electoral roll sparked political disputes and street protests in the country in October.
The Election Commission says the initiative is necessary to ensure the accuracy of the electoral roll. But the opposition is convinced it is being manipulated in favour of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Today, protesters led by Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, chanting “Vote thief, vacate your seat!” and beating drums, marched from central New Delhi to Ramlila Maidan, a large open-air venue.
Gandhi said the protesters were “not prepared to accept” citizens being removed from the electoral roll.
“This protest does not belong to any political party. It is a protest by all of India, aimed at saving democracy and the Constitution”, he said.
The youth protest movement “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) expressed its support for the opposition campaign.
According to Indian media cited by opposition parties in their court filings, as a result of the electoral roll revision more than 133 million names were removed from India’s voter lists.
Critics say the removals disproportionately affected minorities, including Muslims.
At the same time, representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have long claimed that large numbers of Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh, who lack proper documentation, were illegally added to India’s voter lists.