NEW DELHI: Authorities in India’s capital closed six metro stations and imposed traffic restrictions on Monday as opposition parties prepared to march to the Supreme Court over a controversial revision of voter lists that has triggered protests and allegations of electoral irregularities.
The Congress party announced plans to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice of India, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to what it describes as “vote theft.” The planned demonstration comes amid growing opposition criticism of the electoral verification exercise, which has resulted in the deletion of millions of names from voter rolls.
130 Million Names Deleted From Voter Lists, Opposition Raises Concerns
According to Election Commission data cited by Reuters, approximately 130 million names were deleted from electoral rolls during the verification exercise. These included around 28 million people reported dead, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.
Opposition parties allege that Muslim voters and other minority communities have been disproportionately affected by the deletions, potentially disadvantaging groups less likely to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission has denied favouring any political party and said voters whose names were wrongly removed can re-enrol. The BJP has also rejected the opposition’s allegations, accusing its rivals of undermining confidence in legitimate electoral processes.
The revision, which began last year, has intensified political tensions, with opposition parties demanding accountability from the Election Commission. The controversy escalated after reports raised concerns about voter registration procedures, revisions to electoral rolls and the digital systems used in the verification process.
Delhi Police Impose Restrictions as Opposition Plans Supreme Court March
Delhi authorities closed six metro stations for security reasons and introduced traffic restrictions and diversions across more than 20 stretches of the capital. Police also detained thousands of protesters over the weekend, including leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), as security personnel prevented demonstrators from marching through central Delhi.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called on opposition parties, civil society groups and citizens supporting democratic principles to join the planned march. The party intends to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice demanding action over the disputed voter list revision.
However, Chief Justice Surya Kant declined a meeting request from Gandhi and the Congress delegation, according to a Congress source cited by Reuters. The source said the Chief Justice advised the delegation to pursue the matter through legal proceedings because the issue was already before the court.
Separately, the CJP said its leaders would approach Delhi Police to seek permission for a peaceful demonstration, warning that it could announce another protest if authorities did not provide a date within 24 hours.
The protests have added to political pressure on the Modi government, with the youth movement also mobilising around concerns over employment and public school infrastructure. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected allegations of political bias in the voter verification process, while opposition parties continue to demand an investigation into the deletions.