Indiaupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapRahul Gandhi Leads Thousands In New Delhi Rally Demanding Gyanesh Kumar Resign Over Voter Lists
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Rahul Gandhi led thousands demanding Chief Election Commissioner resign over voter-list revisions. Protest organized by INDIA bloc opposition; critics say revisions favour Modi's BJP.
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5 outlets told this the same way.
Rally Demands Resignation
Thousands of protesters gathered in New Delhi on Sunday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over changes to voter lists, with Rahul Gandhi leading a demonstration at Ramlila Maidan. The voter roll revision removed over 130 million names, and the Election Commission denied favouring any party while saying wrongly removed voters may register again. Rahul Gandhi told the rally that the voter roll purge was "the theft of the voice of every single citizen of India," and he said Kumar would have to vacate his post.
“The voter roll purge ‘is the theft of the voice of every single citizen of India.”
Jagat Prakash Nadda dismissed the protest as a "carefully orchestrated drama," and he said it was a calculated conspiracy to plunge the nation into anarchy. The Election Commission said the exercise was intended to remove duplicate registrations and the names of people who have died, moved away or were otherwise ineligible to vote, while opposition parties alleged the process removed eligible voters to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Competing Claims, Same Stage
Rahul Gandhi led the opposition INDIA bloc demonstration at Ramlila Maidan, and the BBC described the rally as a show of strength against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Protesters waved flags and chanted "Save the vote, save the country" and "Vote thief, give up power," and Gandhi and senior opposition leaders arrived in an open jeep. Jagat Prakash Nadda accused the opposition of trying to create unrest and destabilise the government under the guise of defending democracy, and he called the rally a "calculated conspiracy to plunge the nation into anarchy - in the name of democracy."
The Election Commission said the exercise was intended to remove duplicate registrations and ineligible voters, while the opposition said the revisions could benefit the governing BJP in future elections. Reuters added that security personnel surrounded the historic Ramlila Maidan ground as protesters began moving towards it, and it said authorities warned of traffic diversions before the march from central Delhi.
What Happens Next
Opposition parties, student organisations and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party staged near-daily demonstrations since late September demanding Kumar step down, and the BBC said the protest followed weeks of protests over electoral roll revision. Congress president Kharge said the alliance would continue its campaign until Kumar resigned, and Banerjee pledged to keep fighting against what she described as threats to democracy. The next general election is not due until 2029, and the protests and growing support for the opposition form the worst crisis for Modi since he came to power in 2014.
The Election Commission said eligible voters who were wrongly excluded can seek to have their names restored, while opposition parties alleged the deletions disproportionately affected Muslim voters and members of other minorities. Reena Mahto, a member of the Congress' student wing, said four people from her family had been deleted from the voter list due to a false record that they had moved elsewhere, and she said, "There should be accountability, and we are here to seek that."