India opposition intensifies protests over election Chief and police action

Opposition groups across India took their campaign to the streets for a third consecutive day on Thursday calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and objecting to police action involving Congress leaders.

Opposition groups across India took their campaign to the streets for a third consecutive day on Thursday calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and objecting to police action involving Congress leaders.

The demonstrations are linked to a disputed exercise to revise electoral rolls. Opposition parties student organisations and members of the Cockroach Janta Party’s youth movement have been organising protests in several parts of the country.

The opposition alleges that the voter-list changes could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has questioned the role of election officials in the process.

The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected those accusations while Kumar has not publicly responded to the allegations.

Protests were reported in a number of states on Thursday. Congress supporters marched in Telangana, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal held a separate demonstration in Bihar.

In Bengaluru hundreds of participants from the CJP youth movement gathered with signs highlighting the importance of voting rights and electoral participation. The demonstrations also attracted public figures including actor Prakash Raj, activist Dhruv Rathee and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke.

The latest protests follow an incident in New Delhi on Wednesday, when Congress claimed that police used excessive force while briefly detaining Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other lawmakers. The politicians had been attempting to reach the Jantar Mantar area where an opposition demonstration was taking place.

Delhi Police rejected the accusation, saying its officers were carrying out their duties within the law and that the allegations were being used to damage the reputation of the force.

Senior police officer Shrishti Pandey told ANI that officers were ensuring legal procedures were followed and that unnecessary action was avoided.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also dismissed the opposition’s claims saying they lacked supporting evidence.

The dispute has added to political tensions surrounding India’s electoral process with opposition parties continuing to demand accountability over the voter-roll revision and the conduct of authorities.