Indian opposition marches to Supreme Court over voter-roll revision

Thousands of opposition supporters and youth activists marched toward India’s Supreme Court in New Delhi on Monday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a large-scale revision of electoral rolls.

Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party accuse election authorities of improperly removing voters to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission denies favoring any party and says eligible voters removed in error can re-enroll. The BJP has rejected the allegations and accused its opponents of undermining legitimate electoral processes.

Reports said more than 130 million names had been deleted since the revision began last year, including people recorded as dead, relocated or untraceable. Dawn reported a figure exceeding 133 million and said critics contend minorities were disproportionately affected.

Congress leaders had sought to present their concerns directly to Chief Justice Surya Kant. He declined a meeting because related issues were already before the court and advised them to file a formal petition, which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said they would do.

Authorities deployed large numbers of security personnel, erected barricades, restricted traffic on more than 20 road stretches and closed six metro stations. The demonstration followed a weekend of unrest in which police detained protesters, including leaders of the youth movement; reports differed on the number detained, ranging from dozens of activists to thousands of demonstrators.