Protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation entered a third day.
Why it matters: The dispute is testing confidence in India's Election Commission and the process used to verify voter rolls. Opposition parties and protesters allege the revisions could affect electoral outcomes, but no public source cited here establishes that eligible voters were removed at that scale.
- Demonstrations were reported in Mumbai on October 4, 2026, the third day of protests.
- Police in New Delhi detained some protesters and opposition leaders on October 2 after blocking a gathering at Jantar Mantar.
- Opposition parties and protesters allege the Special Intensive Revision removed eligible voters and could benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party.
- The Indian Express reported at least 14 objections by two election commissioners over 10 months.
Protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar entered a third day on October 4, with demonstrations reported in Mumbai, according to Al Jazeera. The materials identify no attendance estimate or evidence that demonstrations occurred nationwide.
Police in New Delhi blocked student and civil-society groups from gathering at Jantar Mantar and detained some protesters and opposition leaders on October 2, the Associated Press reported.
The dispute centers on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, a process that affects which names appear on draft voter rolls. Opposition parties and protesters allege that the revisions removed eligible voters and could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
The reported deletion figure is not used here because the materials do not identify its original reporting outlet, compilation date or methodology. No public source cited here establishes that eligible voters were removed at that scale.
The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded at least 14 objections over 10 months. The report cited concerns about voter additions, deletions, restoration appeals, Form 6 procedures and centralized database access.
By the numbers
- 3 days - duration of the reported protests as of October 4, 2026
- 14 objections - recorded by two election commissioners over 10 months, according to The Indian Express
Yes, but: The allegations remain disputed, and the materials cited here do not establish that the revisions favored the BJP or that eligible voters were removed at the alleged scale.