New Delhi: Heavy security was deployed in central New Delhi on Tuesday as opposition lawmakers prepared to march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations concerning the revision of voter lists.
The march was scheduled to begin at around 11 a.m. and was being organised by opposition parties that accuse the Election Commission of revising electoral rolls in a way that could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the allegations.
Police put up barricades around the Election Commission headquarters and other sensitive areas near Parliament and government offices. Authorities advised people to avoid some protest areas, while restrictions on public gatherings remained in force in the New Delhi district.
The protest comes as the dispute over India's voter registration system has moved beyond political demonstrations and into the Supreme Court.
On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to examine petitions concerning decisions taken by the Election Commission during its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. A three judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant also includes Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.
The court did not order the suspension of Kumar. Instead, it issued notices to the central government, the Election Commission and other officials and sought responses to allegations that some decisions relating to the voter revision were taken unilaterally despite objections from the other Election Commissioners.
The petitions followed reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to some decisions connected with the voter revision process.
The Supreme Court also questioned changes to Form 6, the application used by people seeking inclusion in electoral rolls. Chief Justice Surya Kant said the court had not approved any modified version of the form and said it wanted to examine official records to determine whether changes had been made and who had authorised them.
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has also criticised the Election Commission over the Form 6 issue. The Election Commission has rejected his allegations and said they were misleading.
The dispute has added to wider opposition criticism of the Election Commission. Opposition leaders have accused the poll body of weakening safeguards for eligible voters and have questioned the transparency of decisions taken during the revision process.
The Election Commission has maintained that the revision is intended to maintain accurate electoral rolls by identifying duplicate entries and voters who have died, moved away or are otherwise ineligible.
The Special Intensive Revision is a major exercise to verify electoral rolls across India. The Election Commission says the process is necessary to maintain accurate voter lists and protect the integrity of elections.
Opposition parties argue that the exercise could exclude legitimate voters. They have called for the SIR to be rolled back and for Kumar to resign.
The controversy has led to several days of demonstrations in Delhi and other parts of India. Protests intensified over the weekend, with opposition supporters and youth groups gathering in Delhi and Mumbai. Police detained demonstrators during some earlier protests after restrictions on large gatherings were imposed in central Delhi.
The latest demonstrations have also involved the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth led political movement that has been campaigning against the voter roll changes. The group has announced another major protest in Delhi for October 10.
The present dispute follows an earlier Supreme Court ruling on the voter revision exercise in Bihar. The court had upheld the Election Commission's authority to conduct the revision there.
The number of voters affected by the revision has become a major point of political debate. The Election Commission has said that names can be removed from draft rolls for reasons including death, duplication or changes of residence, while eligible voters can seek inclusion.
The opposition's claims that the changes were designed to help the BJP have not been established as fact. The BJP has rejected the allegations and accused the opposition of politically attacking the Election Commission.
The Supreme Court's intervention has added a new dimension to the political dispute. The court has not ruled that the Election Commission acted unlawfully. It has sought responses and official records as it examines the allegations.
For now, the political protests and legal proceedings are continuing at the same time, with opposition parties preparing further demonstrations while the Supreme Court examines questions surrounding India's electoral roll revision process.