India voter list protests escalate

Opp marches to SC, seeks suspension of changes

NEW DELHI:

Thousands of opposition demonstrators marched to India's Supreme Court on Monday and petitioned it against a revision of voter lists that has sparked days of unrest in the Indian capital and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Opposition parties and supporters of the "cockroach" youth movement have rallied almost daily this month to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision that critics say benefits Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The change, which started last year, led to over 130 million names – more than the population of Japan – being struck from voter lists, including 28 million who died, 63 million who relocated, and 30 million who could not be traced.

Monday's rally wound its way through some 7 km (4 miles) of streets in central Delhi before reaching the Supreme Court, with protesters waving party flags and shouting slogans demanding Kumar quit.

It passed off peacefully amid tight security, after a clampdown foiled plans by the 'Cockroach Janta Party' to mobilise larger crowds over the weekend, when police detained thousands of protesters, including CJP leaders, and locked down central Delhi.

The opposition group's petition is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The petition, whose signatories include opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, seeks an audit of voter deletions, safeguards against deletions without notice, a hearing, and an interim suspension of the revision nationwide.

The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol, while the BJP has accused rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.

Monday's marchers included opposition party members and left-wing student groups. "The fundamental values of this country are being assaulted, institutions are losing their independence ... I am here to protest against this assault," said Anirudh Siyag, a PhD student.

Authorities closed six metro stations for 11 hours and restricted traffic along several stretches.

The BJP said the protests were an attempt by the main opposition party Congress to seize power.

"By discrediting constitutional institutions, spreading chaos and riots on the streets, and attacking people in the name of politics, all it seeks is a return to power," Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters.

Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar in the central business district was no longer designated as an official protest site and said three new venues had been identified.