Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleTens of thousands of people are expected at a large opposition rally in the Indian capital, Delhi, on Sunday. The rally demands the resignation of the chief election commissioner and reforms to the electoral system, according to BBC World.
The main opposition Congress party called the rally. It is due to begin around noon at Ramlila Maidan, a well-known ground in the city. Party leaders claim a million people could attend.
Why the opposition is protesting
The protest follows growing criticism of a voter-list revision known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The exercise has removed 130 million names from draft rolls across India.
The Election Commission of India says the aim is to update the lists by purging people who have died or moved away from their registered addresses.
Opposition parties allege the process could help Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by striking eligible voters from the rolls. They accuse the chief election commissioner and the BJP of vote theft. The BJP and the Election Commission have both denied the allegations.
The controversy intensified in September. The Indian Express newspaper reported that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made key decisions on the exercise without the agreement of the two other election commissioners, who it said had objected on more than a dozen occasions. The Election Commission responded that differences of opinion are normal in any institution and do not affect its functioning.
Who is taking part
Several senior leaders of the Congress-led INDIA alliance have said they will attend. The Gen Z-led pressure group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has also pledged support, although it is unclear whether its senior leaders will be there.
Last month, Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP and the leader of the opposition, led tens of thousands of protesters on a march from Connaught Place in central Delhi to the Supreme Court. They were also seeking the chief election commissioner’s resignation. A Congress leader told the BBC that march was “just the trailer” and that Sunday’s rally would be several times bigger.
Gandhi said the protest was against “the demolition of Indian democracy”. He said all opposition parties and anyone else who wanted to come, political or not, was welcome. He also said millions were being disenfranchised and that protesters were defending the Constitution and the vote.
Policing and local concerns
Delhi police have permitted the rally with conditions. Media reports say it must finish by 5pm, CCTV cameras must be installed at the venue and no marches may leave the designated site. Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the city, including on roads leading to the grounds.
The opposition says the government is trying to stop people from travelling to Delhi for the event. Gandhi urged supporters to turn out in large numbers. He wrote on X that they should not worry about police or batons.
His remarks come amid concern about how recent protests in the capital have been policed. On 10 October, thousands of security personnel were deployed and large parts of the city were shut down to prevent CJP protests against Kumar. All the top CJP leaders were detained. BBC reporters saw police drag protesters away and use batons on some of them.
The rally has also split opinion among traders in Chandni Chowk, one of Delhi’s oldest and busiest markets, less than a kilometre from the venue. One group said the protest could hurt festive-season business, coming a week before Diwali. A rival group said it backed Gandhi’s rally. It criticised the BJP for holding a march through the market on Thursday, which it said disrupted the festive season more.
Source: BBC World
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
