Mass protests demanding poll chief resignation shake India for third day

Thousands of people took to the streets across India for a third day on Sunday to call for the resignation of Election Commission of India chief Gyanesh Kumar. Rallies led by opposition figures, including Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, drew large crowds in Mumbai where demonstrators waved national flags and urged the election chief to step down. In New Delhi, protesters again gathered in the evening, and police detained some participants as they arrived. Protesters say recent revisions of electoral rolls have removed millions of eligible voters, a change they contend would advantage Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Organisers and opposition parties framed the demonstrations as an effort to defend democratic processes and called for further action, including a planned march to the Election Commission office on Tuesday and a large Gen Z-led rally by the Cockroach Janta Party on October 10. The Election Commission says the roll updates aim to clean the voter lists by removing duplicates, deceased persons and other ineligible entries, and it has ordered officials to add back any eligible voters who were omitted in error. Both the ECI and the BJP have rejected the protesters’ claims that the revisions were politically motivated. Police in the capital have sought to prevent large assemblies, detaining dozens over the last two days and registering cases against some for violating orders that ban mass gatherings in central areas. Some detainees were released later, but tensions appear likely to persist as more demonstrations are planned and calls for Kumar’s resignation continue. Kumar has not publicly responded to the resignation demands or commented on the demonstrations. Opposition leaders and youth groups have signalled sustained action, underscoring a continuing nationwide debate over the conduct and oversight of electoral administration.