India’s young return to streets as anger against election chief and Modi grows

India's youth protest movement, dubbed "Cockroach," is set to hold fresh demonstrations in New Delhi on Saturday, as tensions mount against a contentious voter list revision that has sparked anger towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and election authorities. The nationwide campaign against the Special Intensive Revision, initiated by India's Election Commission, has seen thousands of young people take to the streets to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the changes that have removed over 130 million names from the voter rolls.

Authorities have imposed strict measures, including the suspension of mobile internet and a heavy police presence, to prevent the protests. The demonstrations coincide with a politically sensitive period, coming months after the "Cockroach" movement's protests over exam paper leaks led to the resignation of Modi's education minister in July.

The voter dispute has become a key rallying point for opposition parties, who accuse the Election Commission of disenfranchising voters more likely to support the opposition. For the "Cockroach" movement, the voter list dispute presents an opportunity to expand its campaign beyond its initial focus on exam paper leaks, as the movement gained prominence through demonstrations, sit-ins, and hunger strikes over alleged exam irregularities.