Thousands of protesters rallied across Indian cities on Friday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over an electoral roll revision that has removed millions of names from voter lists.
Protesters Rally in Mumbai and New Delhi Over Voter Roll Revisions
Youth-led movements and opposition parties launched coordinated demonstrations in major urban centers on Friday, targeting the administration of the country’s electoral rolls. In central Mumbai, hundreds of supporters gathered at Shivaji Park under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party, waving national flags and demanding the removal of the chief election commissioner. The protests center on a contentious Special Intensive Revision process overseen by election officials, which critics say has struck millions of citizens from voting registers since 2025.
Voters are supposed to choose a government, now the government is choosing voters. This has to stop,
said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party.
The movement first gained national prominence earlier in the year through widespread demonstrations regarding examination-paper leaks, which culminated in the July resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Organizers say their new campaign will continue until the election chief steps down, with further demonstrations planned across multiple states.
As election chief Gyanesh Kumar faces fresh protests demanding his resignation organized by student and activist coalitions alongside a Gen Z-led movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is confronting renewed scrutiny. The CJP began as online satire but grew into a youth protest campaign and an unexpected challenge to the Narendra Modi government. Following disclosures regarding the election commission last week, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke declared that the “Cockroaches” would resume their protests until Kumar stepped down over the controversy.
Election Commissioners File Complaints Over Electoral Roll Overhauls
Investigative reporting by the Indian Express revealed deep internal friction within the Election Commission. Two members of the three-person commission filed 14 formal complaints over a ten-month span regarding the management of voter roll overhauls. Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections about decisions linked to the overhaul of voter rolls.
To help the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), civil society groups and opposition politicians have claimed that SIR functions as part of a broad manipulation scheme affecting India’s electoral framework. Opposition figures and civil society organizations argue that these internal disputes validate claims of system manipulation designed to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission has defended the revision exercise as a necessary administrative measure to clear deceased, duplicate, and ineligible entries from the registers. While institutional officials have downplayed the internal complaints as a normal part of deliberation, the commission has faced mounting demands from political leaders to halt the revision process entirely.
Police Deploy Security Forces Against Protesters in New Delhi
Security forces in the capital enforced strict measures to suppress Friday’s demonstrations near the Jantar Mantar protest site. Authorities deployed hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel, closed a dozen surrounding metro stations, and suspended mobile internet access in the immediate vicinity. Police detained dozens of protesters, including student organizers, civil society leaders, and opposition politicians, forcing them onto transport buses.
Detaining people simply because they intend to protest is a blatant attack on the rights to liberty and freedom of peaceful assembly.
Aakar Patel, Chair of Board, Amnesty International India
Individual citizens affected by the voter purges also voiced their frustration at the capital’s rally. Mina Giri, a 38-year-old resident, stated that her removal from the active rolls stripped away a fundamental civic participation tool. Other young voters noted that missing registration records have complicated their ability to secure basic official documents and government welfare benefits.
Supporters of the All India Students Association have also demanded the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar at separate protests. Amnesty International urged the authorities to immediately restore online access, noting that the right to protest is protected by the Indian Constitution and international human rights law.
Opposition Lawmakers Plan Marches After 2024 National Elections
The confrontation over electoral oversight arrives at a politically sensitive juncture for the federal government, which governs through a coalition following the 2024 national elections. Opposition lawmakers have announced plans to stage a direct march to the election commission offices in New Delhi, alongside nationwide “Save Democracy” rallies scheduled for the days following the initial holiday demonstrations.