Mass Protests Enter Third Day in India as Demonstrators Demand Election Chief's Resignation

Thousands of youth and opposition protesters have rallied for a third day in India, demanding the resignation of the country's election commission chief amid allegations of electoral roll manipulation. Mass marches took place in Mumbai on Sunday, while demonstrators gathered for a third consecutive day in New Delhi.

The protests ignited on Friday, with participants calling for Election Commission of India (ECI) chief Gyanesh Kumar to step down following reports that voter-roll revisions have stripped millions from electoral lists. Protesters argue this alleged disenfranchisement benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both the ECI and the BJP have strongly denied these allegations.

Spearheaded by opposition leaders Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, thousands marched through Mumbai on Sunday, waving Indian flags and demanding Kumar's resignation. In the capital, New Delhi, protesters began gathering during the early evening. According to Reuters, police detained numerous individuals upon arrival, continuing a heavy-handed clampdown intended to prevent mass assemblies that has persisted over the last two days. While some detainees were released, authorities registered criminal cases against others for violating bans on mass gatherings in central New Delhi.

“I just want to tell the ruling party this much… We are angry about how you are wielding that power. It’s the people of this country who should decide who sits in power and who sits in opposition, not the election commission,” Raj Thackeray declared to the crowds in Mumbai.

The ECI maintains that the voter-roll revisions are a routine measure designed to eliminate duplicate, deceased, or ineligible entries to preserve electoral integrity. On Friday, the commission instructed officials to register any eligible voters who may have been inadvertently omitted from the rolls. Meanwhile, Gyanesh Kumar has not publicly addressed the calls for his resignation or the ongoing demonstrations.

The protests show no immediate signs of abating. An alliance of India’s opposition parties has announced plans for a march to the election commission office on Tuesday as part of a broader campaign to “save democracy.” Additionally, the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has scheduled a major rally in New Delhi for October 10.

“Mumbai is out on the streets again for free and fair elections!” Abhijeet Dipke, chief of the CJP, stated in a social media post on Sunday. “Solidarity with all the protesters. All Indians need to come together. It’s now or never!”