India's Opposition Holds Mass Rally in Delhi Against Election Chief
India's main opposition Congress party is holding a large rally in Delhi on Sunday demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner and electoral reforms. Organisers say up to a million people could attend.
A large opposition rally is expected in India's capital, Delhi, on Sunday, with participants demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and electoral reforms. The rally has been called by the Congress party, India's main opposition force, and will start around noon at the Ramlila Maidan grounds. Party figures say up to a million people could come, while other estimates point to tens of thousands.
Several leaders of the Congress-led INDIA alliance have said they will attend. The influential Gen Z-led pressure group Cockroach Janta Party has also pledged support, though it is unclear whether its senior leaders will take part.
Dispute over voter lists
The protests centre on a voter-list revision known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which has removed 130 million names from draft rolls nationwide. The Election Commission says the aim is to update the lists by removing people who have died or moved away from their registered addresses.
Opposition parties argue the exercise could favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by striking eligible voters off the rolls. They accuse the commissioner and the BJP of "vote chori (theft)". The BJP and the commission deny this.
The row grew in September after The Indian Express reported that Kumar made key decisions on the revision without the agreement of the two other election commissioners, who had objected more than a dozen times. The commission said differences of opinion are normal and do not affect its work.
Security and earlier protests
Last month, Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP and leader of the opposition, led tens of thousands of protesters from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court. Delhi police have permitted Sunday's rally with conditions: it must end by 5pm, CCTV must be installed at the venue, and no marches outside the site are allowed. Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed.
The opposition accuses the government of trying to stop people travelling to Delhi. On 10 October, police broke up protests against Kumar, detaining all top Cockroach Janta Party leaders.
