Thousands of people took to the streets of India’s capital, New Delhi, on Sunday to protest against the nationwide revision of electoral rolls, which has triggered political controversy and demonstrations across the country over the past month.
The Election Commission has defended the exercise, saying it is aimed at ensuring accuracy in voter lists. However, opposition parties have alleged that the process is being manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both the Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the allegations.
The demonstration was led by opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, with protesters marching from central New Delhi to Ramlila Maidan, a major public gathering venue. Participants chanted slogans against alleged electoral manipulation and beat drums during the rally.
Several demonstrators expressed concern over the removal of eligible voters from electoral lists. A 46-year-old protester, identified as Nandita, said her name had been removed despite being registered as a voter since the age of 18.
She said rising living costs and concerns over the political situation had encouraged her to participate in the peaceful demonstration.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online youth-led protest movement, has also joined the campaign opposing the voter-roll revision.
According to figures reported by Indian media and cited by opposition parties in legal filings, more than 133 million names have been removed from electoral rolls following the nationwide exercise.
Critics have alleged that the deletions have disproportionately affected minority communities, particularly Muslims.
Members of the Hindu-nationalist BJP have previously claimed that undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India’s electoral lists.
Election authorities, however, maintain that the revision aims to remove duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries. They have also stated that eligible individuals can apply to have their names included in the electoral rolls.
Human Rights Watch has criticised the exercise, describing the voter removals as arbitrary and deeply flawed. The organisation has called on Indian authorities to suspend the process, arguing that it could deprive marginalised communities of their voting rights and access to public services.
The CJP has played an active role in organising opposition to the voter-roll revision, with several of its leaders reportedly detained
