Thousands rally in New Delhi to demand India’s election chief resign

Hundreds of police, some carrying batons and shields, are deployed around the rally site.

The leader of the opposition Indian National Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, standing at right in the first vehicle with other opposition leaders, waves at supporters in New Delhi on November 1, 2026, during a protest called by his party and its allies against the revision of electoral rolls [Vipin/AP Photo]

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in India’s capital, New Delhi, to demand the resignation of the election chief over changes to voter lists that opposition parties say favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.

Indian National Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi led Sunday’s demonstration, the latest in more than a month of protests challenging the revision of electoral rolls and the conduct of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

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Opposition parties alleged the exercise, which removed more than 130 million names from voter lists, disproportionately affected Muslims and other minorities considered unlikely to support Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said voters whose names were wrongly removed may register again.

The BJP has accused opposition parties of undermining democracy by challenging legitimate electoral procedures. India’s next general election is due in 2029.

Officials ramped up security measures and announced traffic diversions before demonstrators marched from central New Delhi towards the historic Ramlila Maidan ground.

Hundreds of police, some carrying batons and shields, were deployed around the rally site alongside riot-control vehicles. Demonstrators waved Indian and party flags as opposition leaders travelled in an open-top jeep.

Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda dismissed the demonstration as a “carefully orchestrated drama”.

“What is unfolding today at Ramlila Maidan is not an act of respect for democracy,” he told the ANI news agency. “It is a calculated conspiracy to plunge the nation into anarchy, all in the name of democracy.”

Opposition parties, student organisations and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have staged near-daily demonstrations since late September, calling for Kumar to step down.

The protests began after Kumar’s two deputies raised concerns about revisions to voter lists, registration procedures and digital systems.

Analysts described the demonstrations and growing support for the opposition as Modi’s most serious political crisis since he took office in 2014.

数百名警察，其中一些人携带警棍和盾牌，部署在集会地点周围。

2026年11月1日，在印度新德里，反对党印度国民大会党领袖拉胡尔·甘地与其他反对党领袖一起站在第一辆车里（右），向支持者挥手致意。当时，他的政党及其盟友正在发起抗议活动，反对修改选民名册。[Vipin/AP Photo]

数千名抗议者走上印度首都新德里的街头，要求选举委员会主席辞职，原因是反对党称，选举委员会修改了选民名单，有利于总理纳伦德拉·莫迪的执政党。

印度国民大会党领导人拉胡尔·甘地领导了周日的示威活动，这是持续一个多月的抗议活动中的最新一次，这些抗议活动旨在挑战选民名册的修订和首席选举专员贾内什·库马尔的行为。

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反对党指责此次从选民名单中删除超过 1.3 亿个名字的行动，对穆斯林和其他被认为不太可能支持莫迪的印度教民族主义政党印度人民党 (BJP) 的少数群体造成了不成比例的影响。

选举委员会否认偏袒任何政党，并表示被错误删除姓名的选民可以重新登记。

印度人民党指责反对党挑战合法的选举程序，破坏民主。印度下一次大选将于2029年举行。

在示威者从新德里市中心游行前往历史悠久的拉姆利拉广场之前，官员们加强了安保措施并宣布了交通改道措施。

数百名警察，其中一些人携带警棍和盾牌，与防暴车辆一起部署在集会地点周围。示威者挥舞着印度国旗和党旗，反对派领导人乘坐敞篷吉普车经过。

卫生部长贾加特·普拉卡什·纳达驳斥了这场示威活动，称其为“精心策划的闹剧”。

“今天在拉姆利拉广场发生的事情并非对民主的尊重，”他告诉ANI通讯社。“这是一场精心策划的阴谋，旨在以民主的名义将国家拖入无政府状态。”

自 9 月下旬以来，反对党、学生组织和青年领导的蟑螂人民党几乎每天都举行示威活动，呼吁库马尔下台。

抗议活动始于库马尔的两名副手对选民名单、登记程序和数字系统进行修订表示担忧之后。

分析人士称，这些示威活动和反对派日益增长的支持是莫迪自 2014 年上任以来最严重的政治危机。