New Delhi (India) (AFP) – Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in New Delhi on Sunday at the call of opposition parties to demand the resignation of the head of the Election Commission following the controversial revision of the electoral rolls.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 08:17

The rally, led by opposition figurehead and Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi, is the latest in a series of demonstrations denouncing a reform criticized as favoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's camp.

Rahul Gandhi, arriving aboard a convertible jeep, declared that the demonstrators were "not ready to accept" the removal of electoral lists and denounced "a theft of the votes of every Indian citizen".

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.

"This demonstration is not affiliated with any political party. It is India's demonstration to save democracy and the Constitution," he assured.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators chanted “theft of votes”.

“I have been voting since the age of 18 and today I discovered that my name has been removed from the electoral rolls,” Nandita, 46, who only wanted to give her first name, told AFP.

Rashmi Gera, a 59-year-old housewife from Mumbai, draped in the Indian flag, does not believe the Election Commission chairman will be forced to resign. She believes that “the battle ahead will be difficult”.

Eliminate duplicates

Electoral authorities maintain that it was intended to eliminate duplicates, deceased persons and fraudsters.

The NGO Human Rights Watch denounces an “arbitrary” process and calls on the authorities to “immediately abandon this process, which deprives the most marginalized populations of their right to vote and other public services”.

For weeks, the opposition parties and the Cockroach People's Party (CJP) have been mobilizing, demanding the resignation of the president of the commission.

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 Mr. Modi who has forged, in more than ten years in power, an image of a leader with unfailing determination.

Last month, authorities arrested thousands of protesters.

Health Minister and senior ruling party official Jagat Prakash Nadda called Sunday's protest a "carefully staged staging by those who have been repeatedly defeated and rejected by the people."

“This is a carefully considered plot aimed at plunging the country into anarchy,” he denounced.

According to political analyst Rasheed Kidwai, the strong mobilization on Sunday gives a "boost" to the Congress Party, which seeks to regain lost ground after repeated electoral setbacks.

"We are not only seeing a renewed energy in Rahul Gandhi, but also a greater interest in him. People who have despised him for a very long time are now starting to take an interest in him," he analyzes for AFP.

© 2026 AFP

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