India’s Cockroach Janta Party and separate student and civil society groups launched protests on Friday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over controversial revisions to voter lists.
The Cockroach Janta Party planned a rally in Mumbai. At the same time, student and activist groups gathered at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with the protests expected to expand to other parts of the country. Police arrested some protesters in Delhi and ramped up security around the protest site, Reuters reported.
Protesters have alleged the Election Commission has fiddled with voter registrations in a manner that could favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The commission and government have denied the charges.
The issue at hand is the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, which critics say could leave eligible voters off the list because of documentation requirements. The Election Commission says the exercise is aimed at the removal of duplicate and ineligible entries while safeguarding the rights of eligible voters.
Youth protests against examination paper leaks and unemployment helped the Cockroach Janta Party, led by Abhijeet Dipke, gain prominence in the past. The movement’s protests contributed to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July, Reuters reported.
