Rahul Gandhi leads massive Delhi protest over 130 million voter deletions

New Delhi: Thousands of protesters led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi descended on New Delhi on Sunday, demanding the resignation of India's election chief over a controversial voter-list revision that opposition parties allege has removed millions of eligible voters and threatens the country's democracy.

The massive demonstration at Ramlila Maidan brought together leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc, including Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee and Tejashwi Yadav, as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a rival march highlighting the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The confrontation comes amid growing political tensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which has resulted in more than 130 million names being removed from voter lists since last year.

Opposition parties accuse the Election Commission of manipulating the exercise to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP and have demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Election Commission and BJP deny the allegations, maintaining that the revision is necessary to remove duplicate, deceased and ineligible voters.

'Vote thief, leave your seat'

Protesters carrying party flags and beating drums marched towards Ramlila Maidan, chanting slogans against the election authorities.

"I have been a voter since I was 18 and now I find myself struck off the list," Nandita, 46, told AFP.

"It's important to be here because of the way things are going. The cost of living is going up... The only option is to take to the streets peacefully."

The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party movement, which has attracted millions of social media followers, also backed the protest.

Human Rights Watch has criticised the voter-list revision, describing it as deeply flawed and warning that marginalised communities could lose their voting rights.

The organisation called for the exercise to be scrapped.

BJP stages counter-protest

The BJP dismissed the opposition demonstration as political theatre.

Union minister JP Nadda accused opposition leaders of attempting to create unrest, calling the rally an orchestrated drama.

Separately, BJP leaders organised a march from Hari Nagar to Tilak Nagar to commemorate victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta were among those participating.

Traders warn of massive losses

The political showdown also triggered concerns among Delhi's business community ahead of the Diwali shopping season.

The Chamber of Trade and Industry warned that around 250,000 shops could remain closed and business worth Rs10,000 crore to Rs12,000 crore could be disrupted.

The traders' organisation said nearly 80 per cent of commercial activity in markets surrounding Ramlila Maidan could come to a standstill, with deliveries and customer movement affected by road closures.

Its chairman Brijesh Goyal said traders were not opposing the right to protest but were concerned about the timing.

Gandhi rejected suggestions that the rally would damage businesses and encouraged demonstrators to shop in Delhi's markets.

Heavy security across capital

Nearly 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across central Delhi, including about 4,000 at Ramlila Maidan and along the protest route.

Authorities installed extensive barricades and used more than 200 CCTV cameras, drones and body-worn cameras to monitor the gathering.

Traffic diversions were imposed around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar and several major roads as thousands of demonstrators gathered in the capital.