Thousands protest in Mumbai and Delhi demanding resignation of election chief Gyanesh Kumar

Thousands of protesters in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Delhi are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Protest in Mumbai on October 2: A CJP supporter waves the Indian flag. Photo: Priyanshu Singh / Reuters

By Natalie Mayroth, Bonn

India's Cockroach movement is back on the streets. Thousands of people demonstrated in Mumbai and Delhi on Friday against the revision of voter rolls, calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The youth movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had called for the protests. In late July, CJP-led demonstrations had already contributed to the resignation of the then Education Minister.

In the western Indian metropolis of Mumbai, over 10,000 people responded to the call from CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke. Should Kumar not resign, "cockroaches from all over India will march to Delhi and protest on October 10 at Jantar Mantar," Dipke announced.

Prominent Bollywood figures, including Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, also took part in the demonstration. "The atmosphere was charged; a huge crowd gathered," a protester told taz. At the same time, she said she felt anger and fear that people could lose their right to vote. Police accompanied the demonstration without using batons.

The protest unfolded differently in the capital, Delhi. There, student and civil society groups attempted to gather at the Jantar Mantar protest site. Police had not authorized the demonstration and detained around 700 people, including Neha Bora, president of the left-leaning student organization AISA.

"Save Democracy"

A video she posted on X shows her being placed into a police bus. "The people are united," Bora wrote, declaring a "Jantar Mantar 2.0." Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party defended the right to peaceful protest and also demanded Kumar's resignation. "Gen Z, students, farmers, tribal communities, Dalits, women – every struggle has its own story. Yet the voice that stands alone is often silenced," Gandhi said. He added that they share one goal: "Gyanesh Kumar must resign. Save democracy."

The protests stem from a months-long escalating dispute over the revision of voter rolls, known as the "Special Intensive Revision" (SIR). The process aims to remove deceased individuals, those who have moved away, and duplicate entries, while verifying data. Around 130 million names were initially missing from the draft lists. Opposition parties and activists accuse the Election Commission of thereby disenfranchising legitimate voters and favoring the ruling Hindu-nationalist BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Potential Disenfranchisement of Voters

The Election Commission denies allegations of manipulation. However, documented cases show that the revision can affect eligible voters. Former editor-in-chief of The Telegraph, R. Rajagopal, was removed from the voter roll in West Bengal during the revision and was unable to vote in the regional election there. UN special rapporteurs also expressed concern that Muslim and Bengali voters in particular may have been disadvantaged. The Indian government stated that the process was carried out without disadvantaging any specific groups.

Adding pressure on Kumar, an investigation by the newspaper Indian Express reported that the two other election commissioners raised concerns at least 14 times within ten months over decisions regarding voter rolls, registration procedures, and digital systems. The Election Commission countered that decisions on the SIR were made unanimously. Led by the Congress party, opposition parties have announced their own protests demanding Kumar's resignation starting October 6.