The INDIA bloc and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are set to intensify separate protests against the Election Commission from October 2, with electoral-roll revisions, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and demands for greater transparency in the poll body's functioning at the centre of the escalating political confrontation.
The INDIA bloc has announced “Save Democracy” marches and demonstrations across the country from October 2 to 8, while Opposition MPs are scheduled to march to the Election Commission in New Delhi on October 6. The CJP, meanwhile, has announced a “Jail Bharo Andolan” in Mumbai as part of its campaign demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Week-long campaign
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced the programme following a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders in New Delhi. District-level marches and demonstrations outside district magistrates' offices will form the first stage of the Opposition campaign.
On October 6, MPs belonging to the alliance plan to march to the Election Commission. Leaders of the Opposition also intend to seek an appointment with the President during the second week of October to submit a representation outlining their concerns over the electoral process.
The alliance has also proposed five large rallies, though their dates and venues are yet to be announced. The programmes are intended to maintain pressure on the Election Commission through October rather than restrict the campaign to a single demonstration.
SIR at centre of row
A key Opposition demand concerns the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. INDIA bloc parties have sought greater transparency in additions, deletions and corrections made during revision exercises.
The alliance has called for constituency-wise and booth-wise disclosure of changes to electoral rolls. It has also demanded that voters be given prior notice and reasons before their names are removed, along with an effective mechanism for appealing against deletions.
Opposition parties have further sought the use of electoral rolls prepared before the SIR in future elections and have backed a return to ballot-paper voting. These are demands of the Opposition alliance; the Election Commission has maintained that its electoral-roll exercises follow the applicable legal and administrative framework.
CJP plans Mumbai protest
Separately, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has announced an agitation at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on October 2. The group had earlier threatened to begin a nationwide campaign if Kumar did not resign.
Mumbai Police did not grant permission for the proposed gathering at Shivaji Park, citing existing court directions and government guidelines governing use of the ground. Police advised the organisers to propose an alternative venue where their application could be considered.
The CJP subsequently announced a “Jail Bharo Andolan” for October 2. Dipke said the movement would continue until Kumar stepped down and indicated that demonstrations would spread to Goa, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The group has also threatened a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi from the end of October if its demand is not met.
CJP lists demands
Apart from Kumar's resignation, the CJP has demanded criminal proceedings against the CEC, an independent investigation into disputed decisions made during the SIR and preservation of the January 2025 electoral rolls.
It has sought a halt to disputed SIR-related exclusions and called for relevant records to be placed before the Supreme Court or an independently supervised inquiry. The group has also demanded changes to the law governing appointments to the Election Commission and greater institutional and civil-society participation in the selection process.
These are allegations and demands made by the CJP and have not been established as findings against the Chief Election Commissioner.
Internal differences reported
The political confrontation intensified after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions connected with the electoral-roll overhaul.
The Election Commission acknowledged that differing views and observations had been recorded but described them as a normal part of institutional deliberations. It has maintained that decisions concerning the SIR were ultimately taken unanimously by the three-member Commission.
The poll body has rejected suggestions that the recorded objections establish a split within the Commission and has maintained that its orders and administrative directions are backed by established procedures.
Form 6 adds to dispute
Another point of contention concerns Form 6, which is used by eligible citizens seeking inclusion in electoral rolls.
During the SIR, an additional declaration required certain applicants to provide information linking themselves, their parents or grandparents to electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision. The requirement drew objections within the Commission.
The Election Commission subsequently withdrew the additional declaration from the online Form 6 in states where the SIR had been completed. It remains available through ECINET in states and Union Territories where the exercise is still underway.
The Commission has maintained that Form 6 itself was not amended and that the declaration was an additional requirement specifically connected with the SIR exercise.
Political confrontation widens
The Election Commission's functioning and electoral-roll revision have become a major point of confrontation between the Opposition and the poll body. Opposition parties have alleged that the revision process risks wrongful deletion of eligible voters and have demanded greater disclosure and accountability.
The Commission has defended the legality of its procedures and rejected allegations that the process has been designed to favour a political party. The BJP has also rejected Opposition accusations surrounding electoral rolls.
With district-level demonstrations beginning on October 2, the Opposition MPs' march scheduled for October 6 and the CJP planning its own campaign across several states, the dispute over electoral rolls is now moving from institutional and political exchanges to sustained street protests.