India news: Opposition holds major rally in Delhi over voter roll revisions

On Sunday, November 1, India's political opposition staged a major rally in New Delhi to protest nationwide revisions to electoral rolls, which they claim benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They also called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The march, dubbed the "Chalo Dilli" march, is organized by the INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Prominent figures from these parties, such as Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, and Tejashwi Yadav, are expected to participate. Critics allege that the ballot revision has disproportionately affected minority voters and is a tool to help the BJP secure electoral gains. The opposition has accused Modi's BJP of manipulating the process to eliminate a large number of names, including those of minority voters, in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The BJP has denied these allegations, stating that the SIR process aims to remove deceased, relocated, and duplicate voters, and improve the integrity of the electoral rolls. The opposition staged a mock impeachment of Kumar in a garden at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence, reenacting a parliamentary session. They also set up various enclosures at Ramlila Maidan, the capital's designated protest site, with police personnel stationed throughout to ensure security. Around 4,000 security personnel have been deployed at the site.