Thousands of people marched through New Delhi on Monday, 12 October 2026, demanding the resignation of India’s top election official over alleged misconduct during a revision of the country’s voter rolls.
Opposition party supporters were among those who marched toward the Supreme Court in New Delhi, according to a Reuters photograph by Bhawika Chhabra. The demonstration on Monday was the latest confrontation with authorities in the heavily fortified capital.
Opposition parties and backers of the Cockroach Janta Party protest movement, which is led by youths, have taken to the streets in recent days. They have defied a strict security clampdown to demand that the government stop deleting voters from the rolls. They also want Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.
Media reports say more than 133 million names have been removed from voter lists since last year. About 969 million people were eligible to vote in India’s 2024 polls. Critics say the large scale revision of electoral rolls could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission of India, which oversees voting in the world’s most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing.
Authorities deployed thousands of security personnel across central Delhi for a third straight day. They erected heavy metal barricades and closed key metro stations. Public attention has also focused on the police response after a weekend in which thousands of protesters, including organizers, were detained, according to local media reports. Most of those detained, including three top leaders of the Cockroach movement, have since been released. Several journalists covering the protests said they were detained despite clearly displaying their press cards.
The demonstrations have become a major political challenge for Modi, drawing together opposition parties, student groups and activists angered by the voter roll revision. Critics say the measure has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly Muslims.
Election authorities say the move was intended to eliminate duplicate, deceased and fraudulent names.
