Rahul Gandhi to lead major protest in Delhi over voter list revision

Indian security forces have stepped up security in New Delhi ahead of a major opposition protest scheduled for Sunday, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi set to lead a march demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over controversial changes to voter lists.

Police personnel equipped with batons and shields, along with riot-control vehicles, were deployed around Ramlila Maidan, the designated venue for the rally. Authorities have also announced traffic diversions in anticipation of a large gathering.

The opposition has described the demonstration as a major protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the Election Commission. Opposition parties expect hundreds of thousands of people to participate in the march and rally.

The planned demonstration follows weeks of protests by opposition parties, student organisations and youth-led groups, including the Cockroach Janta Party. They have been demanding Kumar’s resignation over revisions to electoral rolls that they claim could unfairly affect opposition supporters.

The opposition’s concerns intensified after an Indian Express report in September revealed that two deputy election commissioners had reportedly raised concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.

According to reported figures, the revision process, which began last year, resulted in the removal of more than 130 million names from electoral rolls. These included around 28 million deceased voters, 63 million people who had relocated and 30 million individuals who could not be traced.

Opposition parties have alleged that the deletions disproportionately affected Muslim voters and other minority communities, claiming the changes could benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both the Election Commission and the BJP have rejected allegations of political favouritism.

The Election Commission has maintained that voters whose names were wrongly removed can register again. The BJP, meanwhile, has accused opposition parties of undermining democratic institutions by questioning legitimate electoral procedures.

The opposition has planned a march of approximately 1.5 kilometres from central Delhi to Ramlila Maidan. Senior police officials said arrangements had been made along the route and at the rally venue to manage the expected crowd.

Delhi Traffic Police warned commuters that restrictions and diversions would be introduced depending on the gathering.

The controversy has triggered growing political tensions in India, with youth-led demonstrations and opposition mobilisation adding pressure on the government. However, the next general election is not scheduled until 2029.