Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing renewed pressure, as the youth movement “People’s Cockroach Party” (CJP) and a coalition of student and activist groups have announced new protests demanding the resignation of the Election Commission chair over a controversial revision of the voter rolls.
The influential CJP plans to hold a rally in Mumbai and expand demonstrations across the country in the coming days, while student and civic organizations are preparing protests in New Delhi. On Friday, October 2, several dozen protesters had already gathered in the capital, but the police detained some of them.
The police closed several metro stations and stepped up security measures, warning that gatherings of more than five people were prohibited. Hundreds of police officers surrounded the protest site, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the escalating conflict surrounding the Election Commission of India, which was previously considered one of the country’s most authoritative institutions.
Protesters accuse the commission of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission and the government deny these allegations, but pressure on Commission Chairman Ganesha Kumar has mounted following reports indicating that his deputies were concerned about the revision of the voter rolls.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das stated that the protesters will not stop until Kumar resigns. The dispute has escalated over a voter verification campaign that, according to critics, has resulted in the removal of millions of citizens from the voter rolls, although the commission maintains that the campaign’s goal is to eliminate duplicate entries and ineligible voters.
Opposition forces, including the Indian National Congress party, also plan to hold protests demanding Kumar’s resignation. The CJP youth movement, which emerged amid discontent over unemployment, gained popularity after mass protests over the leak of exam questions, which led to the resignation of the education minister.
