Photos: Protests over voter lists escalate in India’s capital

India’s opposition parties have marched in New Delhi to protest a voter list purge they say favours PM Modi’s party.

Al Jazeera2026-10-12 16:24查看原文 ↗

India’s opposition parties have marched in New Delhi to protest a voter list purge they say favours PM Modi’s party.

Opposition party supporters march to the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]

Thousands of protesters have marched in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of India’s top election official over alleged misconduct during a voter roll revision.

The demonstrations on Monday marked the latest confrontation with authorities in the heavily fortified capital.

Opposition parties and supporters of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party protest movement have taken to the streets in recent days, defying a strict security clampdown to demand the government stop deleting voters from the rolls and calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

More than 133 million names have been removed from voter lists since last year, according to media reports. 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 the voting process 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, erecting heavy metal barricades and closing key metro stations.

Public attention has also focused on the police response, after a weekend in which thousands of protesters, including organisers, 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.

People protest a purge of voter lists they say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP Party. [Priyanshu Singh/Reuters]

Authorities deployed thousands of security personnel across central Delhi for a third straight day. [Priyanshu Singh/Reuters]

A woman protester reacts while police officials push back protesters. [Priyanshu Singh/Reuters]

Public attention has also focused on the police response after thousands of protesters, including organisers, were detained over the weekend, according to local media reports. [Priyanshu Singh/Reuters]

People scuffle with security personnel during the protests in New Delhi. [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]

Opposition leaders have accused authorities of trying to suppress dissent through mass detentions. [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]

The leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have pledged to continue their protests. [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]

More than 133 million names have been removed from electoral lists since last year, according to media reports. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]

印度反对党在新德里举行游行，抗议他们所说的有利于总理莫迪所在政党的选民名单清理行动。

印度新德里，反对党支持者游行至最高法院。[Bhawika Chhabra/路透社]

数千名抗议者在新德里游行，要求印度最高选举官员因涉嫌在选民名册修订过程中存在不当行为而辞职。

周一的示威活动标志着在戒备森严的首都，民众与当局之间发生了最新一次冲突。

近日，反对党和由青年领导的蟑螂人民党抗议运动的支持者走上街头，无视严格的安全镇压，要求政府停止从选民名册中删除选民，并呼吁首席选举专员吉亚内什·库马尔辞职。

据媒体报道，自去年以来，已有超过1.33亿个名字从选民名单中移除。约有9.69亿人有资格参加印度2024年的选举。

批评人士称，大规模修订选民名册可能会使总理纳伦德拉·莫迪领导的印度教民族主义政党印度人民党（BJP）受益。

负责监督世界人口最多国家投票过程的印度选举委员会否认有任何不当行为。