Indian opposition protests voter roll revision, marches to Supreme Court

Indian opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court in New Delhi seeking the suspension of changes to voter lists, as protests over the electoral roll revision continued in the capital and elsewhere.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said political resistance against alleged “vote chori,” or vote theft, would continue as a single movement rather than through parallel protests. Gandhi also hosted opposition lawmakers from the INDIA alliance for tea, where they were expected to discuss a joint protest strategy.

Demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that voter rolls were manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party. The Election Commission has denied the allegation.

Police deployed tens of thousands of security personnel around key areas of New Delhi and blocked access to the main protest site at Jantar Mantar. Young protesters responded by organizing flash demonstrations elsewhere and using masks, offline maps and volunteer networks to track detainees. Thousands were reportedly detained during weekend demonstrations, with many later released.

The protests also spread to Bengaluru, where Karnataka Police detained at least 100 people marching toward the Election Commission office on Monday. Police said the group had assembled without permission and refused to relocate to the designated protest site at Freedom Park. Several demonstrators alleged that officers used excessive force while detaining them.