India opposition parties rally for election chief’s exit over voter list changes

NEW DELHI (AP) — Opposition parties held protests in India’s capital New Delhi on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of the country’s election chief over a contentious revision of voter lists as hundreds of police personnel were deployed across the heart of the city.

Tuesday’s demonstration is the latest in a series of near-daily protests beginning last week by student groups, opposition parties and India’s “Cockroach” youth movement.

The protesters have demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the polling body he oversees of manipulating voter registrations to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The commission and government deny any wrongdoing. Modi’s party on Tuesday defended the Election Commission, calling the opposition’s allegations “completely misleading.”

Opposition lawmakers shouted slogans against Modi and called for Kumar’s resignation as they marched toward the Election Commission headquarters in central Delhi. Authorities blocked the march with barricades, closed roads and issued travel advisories around the area. Several protesters were detained.

The opposition has increasingly adopted Gen Z-style language to appeal to younger voters after the “Cockroach” movement drew large numbers of young people to its protests. The outreach has become a key part of broadening support and challenging Modi.

“Gyanesh, it’s done, bro. Time to resign,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party wrote on X ahead of the march.

India began its Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in Bihar last year ahead of state elections. The exercise has since expanded to most states and federally administered territories.

Critics say the process requires documents that are confusing and difficult to obtain, risking the exclusion of millions of eligible voters. Election Commission data shows voter rolls could shrink by as much as 30% in some regions.

The commission says the revision is aimed to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring eligible voters remain registered. Opposition parties and activists say it could disenfranchise legitimate voters.

The campaign against the Election Commission has been led in part by the “Cockroach” movement, which began as an online campaign and calls itself the Cockroach Janata Party. Previous street protests organized by the movement led to the education minister’s resignation in July.