Thousands protested in Delhi on Sunday to demand the resignation of India’s election chief over a revision of voter lists, the latest in more than a month of opposition demonstrations challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Report informs via Reuters.
Led by Congress party chief Rahul Gandhi, Sunday’s protesters say the controversial revision benefits Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Analysts say the protests and growing support for the opposition form the worst crisis for Modi since he came to power in 2014, though his government remains stable and the next general election is not due until 2029.
Authorities tightened security and warned of traffic diversions before protesters began a march from central Delhi to the designated rally site, where the opposition has predicted hundreds of thousands of people would participate.
Hundreds of security personnel, some of them carrying batons and shields and accompanied by riot-control vehicles, surrounded the historic Ramlila Maidan ground as hundreds of people, many waving national and party flags, began moving towards it. Opposition party leaders led the march in an open-top jeep.
Among the thousands waiting for the marchers at the Ramlila Maidan was Reena Mahto, a member of the Congress’ student wing, who said four people from her family had been deleted from the voter list due to the false claim that they had moved elsewhere.