Indian Opposition Escalates Voter Roll Dispute With March to Supreme Court

NEW DELHI — Indian opposition parties proceeded to the Supreme Court on Monday to denounce a revision of voter rolls they contend benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, following a weekend where police detained thousands of activists in a broad crackdown across the capital.

A contingent of opposition legislators and thousands of supporters paraded through the capital, delivering a petition to the chief justice that cites irregularities in the country-wide revision of electoral rolls.

Demonstrations spearheaded by the “Cockroach” youth movement have grown more intense since electoral officials initiated the revision last year, deleting over 130 million voters from the registers. The demonstrators, encompassing various opposition parties, are calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Detractors argue the procedure is politically driven and threatens to strip eligible citizens of their right to vote. However, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission reject claims of manipulation, asserting the exercise is necessary to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries.

Prior to the demonstration, authorities shut six metro stations in the capital on Monday and cautioned of potential traffic interruptions.

Congress party opposition leader Rahul Gandhi characterized the escalating demonstrations as a struggle to uphold the constitution.

“We will not yield,” he stated to reporters in New Delhi.

As the scion of India’s most prominent political dynasty, Gandhi aims to leverage the unrest into a wider challenge against Modi.

Gandhi made a brief appearance driving through the throng in an open bus, brandishing a copy of India’s Constitution. Thousands of party supporters, student activists, and other demonstrators trailed his vehicle. This turnout stood in stark contrast to the weekend, when authorities briefly held thousands, including “Cockroach” movement leaders and journalists, effectively locking down much of the capital to stifle large-scale demonstrations.

Modi has not addressed the protests publicly, yet party leaders have dismissed them, with some labeling the activists “anarchists.”

Concurrently, New Delhi police announced on Monday that Jantar Mantar, a historic mass protest site in the capital, would cease to be a designated venue for rallies. Police officials confirmed three replacement locations had been selected.

Earlier this year, the “Cockroach” movement staged a sit-in at Jantar Mantar that endured for weeks, ultimately compelling the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July.

Source link