Opposition to Stage New Delhi March Urging Election Commissioner’s Resignation

Thousands of security personnel are positioned across New Delhi ahead of a protest demanding the election commissioner’s resignation.

Published On 12 Oct 202612 Oct 2026

Authorities have shut several Delhi Metro stations and warned of traffic disruptions in New Delhi as opposition parties gear up to march on the Supreme Court to protest a contentious revision of voter lists that has sparked turmoil in the capital.

Thousands of police officers and security personnel were deployed across central New Delhi on Monday for a third consecutive day, erecting heavy metal barricades and closing key metro stations ahead of a rally called by Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament.

Opposition parties and supporters of the youth‑led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have taken to the streets almost daily this month to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that revisions to voter rolls favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Police detained thousands of demonstrators over the weekend as supporters of the CJP movement attempted to hold a protest march but were stopped by security forces, resulting in numerous arrests.

The Election Commission of India (ECI), which oversees the voting process in the world’s most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing.

Opposition figures have accused authorities of trying to suppress dissent through mass detentions.

Parliamentarian John Brittas of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) claimed he was “manhandled, dragged, assaulted” by police during Sunday’s demonstrations.

“This is not merely an assault on an MP. It is an assault on democratic freedoms and the rule of law,” he said.

Police did not respond to questions about the detentions or their actions during a news conference on Sunday.

Several journalists covering the protest said they were also detained despite prominently displaying their press credentials.

International NGO Reporters Without Borders said at least 16 journalists were “brutally” detained while covering the protests over the weekend.

“Covering events of public interest is not a crime. It is their job. The police’s actions against the press are unacceptable,” it said in a statement.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged supporters to join Monday’s march to the Supreme Court to press for Kumar’s resignation.

“Bring as much police as you want — 10 thousand, 20 thousand, 40 thousand, go ahead. Call as many BJP‑RSS goons as you need,” he said in a post on X directed at Home Minister Amit Shah.

“We are not the ones to get scared. We are not the ones to back down. This fight is not going to stop now!”

Leaders of the youth‑led CJP movement, which has millions of followers on social media, have pledged to continue their protests until Commissioner Kumar steps down.

The demonstrations have emerged as one of the most serious political challenges to Prime Minister Modi during his 12‑year tenure, uniting opposition parties, student groups, and activists angered by the voter roll revisions.

The revisions resulted in more than 133 million names being removed from electoral lists, according to media reports. Critics say minorities, particularly Muslims, were disproportionately affected.

The ECI says the move was intended to eliminate duplicate, deceased and fraudulent entries.

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