Delhi Braces for Massive Opposition March as Voter List Row Fuels Anger Against Modi

Indian authorities have tightened security in the capital ahead of a large opposition march and rally led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Opposition parties expect hundreds of thousands of people and call it a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. The march will cover about 1.5 km from central Delhi to Ramlila Maidan, the designated rally ground. Riot control vehicles and police armed with batons and shields were seen at the venue, and traffic diversions were announced. Senior police officer Rohit Rajbir said arrangements were in place along the route.

Why Protesters Want the Election Chief to Resign

Opposition parties, student groups and the youth led Cockroach Janta Party have held near daily protests since last month, demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar step down. Anger grew after a newspaper reported that his two deputies had raised internal concerns about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.

Millions Removed From Voter Rolls

The revision began last year and removed over 130 million names, including 28 million deceased voters, 63 million who moved and 30 million who could not be traced. Opposition parties claim Muslims and other minorities are hit hardest. The Election Commission and the BJP reject this, and the commission says wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol. Analysts call it Modi’s worst crisis since 2014, though his government remains stable and the next general election is due in 2029.