A demonstration by opposition parties, student organizations and the "cockroach" movement was held in New Delhi on Sunday, where riot control was put in place. They are demanding the resignation of the head of the Electoral Commission, who proposed a revision of the electoral lists favoring, according to them, the party of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

Published on: 01/11/2026 - 07:57Modified on: 02/11/2026 - 09:12

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Thousands of demonstrators gathered in New Delhi on Sunday, November 1, to demand the resignation of the head of the Election Commission, Gyanesh Kumar, due to a controversial revision of the electoral rolls.

The rally, led by Rahul Gandhi, a leading opposition figure and leader of the Congress Party, is the latest in a series of demonstrations denouncing a reform that its detractors say is intended to favor the camp of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Both the Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have rejected these accusations.

On Sunday, thousands of protesters, chanting “steal of votes”, converged on the Ramlila Maidan from different areas of central New Delhi. Faced with a significant security challenge, the authorities put in place road diversions ahead of the gathering.

Critics of the revision, which led to the deregistration of more than 133 million registrants, according to media reports, say it disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims. Electoral authorities maintain, for their part, that it aimed to eliminate duplicates, deceased persons and fraudsters.

Read alsoIndia: the protest against Modi intensifies around the electoral lists

A contested electoral reform

For more than a month, opposition parties, student organizations and the “cockroaches” movement, led by youth, have been organizing almost daily demonstrations. They are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, contesting the revision of the electoral rolls.

The NGO Human Rights Watch denounced, Wednesday, an "arbitrary and deeply flawed" process, calling on the authorities to "immediately abandon this process, which deprives the most marginalized populations of their right to vote and other public services."

The Electoral Commission, for its part, denied any bias, specifying that voters unduly deregistered can re-register. For its part, the BJP accuses its opponents of seeking to undermine democracy by wrongly calling into question legitimate electoral processes.

Demonstrations organized by the CJP in July, following alleged fraud during university exams, led to the resignation of the Minister of Education, a rare concession from Narendra Modi who has forged, in more than ten years in power, an image as a leader of unfailing determination.

But according to analysts, these demonstrations, which demonstrate growing support for the opposition, constitute the most serious political crisis experienced by Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014. However, his government remains stable and the next general elections are not scheduled before 2029.

Repression

Last month, authorities arrested thousands of demonstrators, including the leader of the "cockroach" movement, triggering a wave of criticism, with opponents accusing the government of muzzling protest.

For this large gathering, a large police force was deployed. Images broadcast by the ANI news agency show riot control vehicles as well as dozens of law enforcement officers, equipped with batons and shields, near the site of the demonstration. On site, announcements invited participants to ensure traffic flow and to cooperate with the police.

The Delhi Traffic Police said people were starting to arrive to take part in the rally, saying: "We have made necessary arrangements at the venue, and measures have also been planned along the march route."

With AFP and Reuters

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