Why protests are spreading across India over voter-list revisions and alleged “vote theft”

Protests erupted across India this month over allegations of vote theft, with opposition parties, student groups and youth activists accusing election authorities of putting voters’ rights at risk.

The protesters and opposition want Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign. They also want answers from the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the removal of millions of names from voter lists.

The newly formed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), student groups and opposition leaders have held demonstrations in several cities. Protestors in Delhi faced a heavy police and border police presence. According to Delhi Police, thousands were detained during the protests in the capital.

At the center of the controversy is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a process to check and update voter lists. Opposition parties fear that eligible citizens could lose their right to vote if their names are wrongly removed. India’s Election Commission has said the exercise is aimed at making voter lists more accurate and that eligible voters whose names have been wrongly removed can seek to re-enroll.

Why Are Indians Protesting?

The protests are driven by concerns over the removal of names from India’s voter lists, which determine who can vote in elections.

According to figures cited by the Election Commission, around 133.9 million voter entries were flagged or excluded. The reasons included people reported as missing, having moved permanently, being deceased or having duplicate entries.

Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of favoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP has rejected allegations that the revision is intended to influence election results.

The Election Commission is responsible for conducting elections in India. Protesters argue that it must act independently and ensure that every eligible citizen can vote.

“This is not merely about Gyanesh Kumar. This is about how institutions have been subverted,” John Brittas, a member of the Parliament from the Communist Party of India, told International Business Times. He called on supporters to “converge in Delhi” for massive protests on November 1.

“The Election Commission has flouted the Constitution. Ganesh Kumar has to resign, but this goes beyond one person. We need an independent Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections. Unless that is ensured, we will not rest. We will continue with the agitation,” he said.

The protests have brought the voter-list controversy into the public spotlight, with opposition politicians, student activists and other groups joining the campaign.

However, they have yet to achieve their main goal of removing the elections chief.

So far, one of the movement’s biggest gains has been keeping the issue in the public debate.

Demonstrations in Mumbai and Delhi have challenged restrictions on protest sites and kept pressure on the Election Commission.

The demonstrations have also raised concerns about the treatment of journalists. A female journalist alleged that an assistant commissioner of police had sexually assaulted her. Delhi Police said the complaints had been referred to the Crime Branch for investigation.

The allegations are under investigation and have added to concerns about the safety of journalists covering protests.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also criticized the authorities’ response to the demonstrations.

“We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns. This is a fight to protect the most sacred thing in this country,” said Opposition Leader and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while protesting against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The fight has also extended to Jantar Mantar, a well-known protest site near India’s Parliament. Authorities removed the site from the list of designated protest venues, leading to further tensions.

CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka later entered a barricaded area and waved the national flag to challenge the restrictions. They were detained and placed in judicial custody for seven days before being released.

A court ordered their release subject to conditions, including maintaining “public peace and not calling for protests at Jantar Mantar while the site remained officially de-notified in accordance with law.”

How Have Authorities Responded?

Authorities have responded to the demonstrations with heavy security, barricades, restrictions around protest sites and the detention of protesters.

Ahead of a major protest in Delhi on October 10, security personnel were deployed across parts of the capital. Restrictions also affected movement in central Delhi. Protestors were dragged and shoved into detention buses. Several journalists were also detained while covering these protests as Delhi Police said that they had not allowed any kind of demonstration in the area and that restrictive orders were in place in all of central Delhi.

The Election Commission, meanwhile, says the voter-list revision is an administrative exercise meant to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls. It has also said that eligible voters whose names were wrongly removed can apply to be included again.

Opposition parties and protest organizers are preparing fresh demonstrations.

Speaking to International Business Times, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “As for the road ahead, our immediate course of action is clear.” He said the movement wikk hold a mock impeachment trial of Gyanesh Kumar on October 31, “followed by a major Rally against Vote theft on November 1.”

Khera has also accused the Election Commission of making changes only after facing public criticism. He said these steps were not enough to address the harm allegedly caused by the voter-list revision.

“The ECI has begun signaling course corrections. They do not undo the damage already inflicted or answer for the immense hardship caused to 13.30 crore Indians by a poorly designed and hastily implemented process that has threatened their right to vote.”

He also accused the government of using police action and legal proceedings to silence people who oppose it.

“This government has repeatedly demonstrated its intolerance for opinions that differ from its own. It seems to have only one response to dissent: use the force of the state to silence those who question it, Khera added.”

The November 1 rally will be an important test of the movement’s ability to bring large numbers of people onto the streets and maintain pressure on the authorities.