India's opposition parties, CJP stage third day of protests demanding CEC's resignation
Opposition leaders were allowed to reach Raj Ghat today after police blocked marches and detained several leaders over the previous two days.
Indian opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged protests in several parts of the country today (8 October), marking the third consecutive day of demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Election Commission's controversial revision of electoral rolls.
Opposition parties, their student wings and the CJP's youth movement have been holding near-daily protests over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, allegations of "vote chori" and reports of dissent within the commission.
In Telangana, Congress activists held a protest march, while the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal organised a similar demonstration in Bihar.
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Hundreds of CJP supporters also protested in Bengaluru, carrying placards reading "Every name counts, Every vote matters" and "Stop the Murder of Democracy".
In Delhi, police allowed opposition leaders to reach Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, where they staged a brief protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The development came after police stopped INDIA bloc leaders from reaching their planned protest sites on the previous two days.
"INDIA alliance MPs staged a peaceful sit-in at Raj Ghat today. Here, they paid homage to Bapu and prayed for the Modi government to be endowed with sound judgment. Modi, Shah, and Gyanesh Kumar are together snatching away the public's right to vote. We will not allow this to happen under any circumstances," Congress said in a statement.
The protests have centred on the Election Commission's SIR exercise, opposition allegations of "vote chori" and reports of dissent within the commission.
On 6 October, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition MPs were stopped while marching near the Election Commission office. Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra subsequently entered the All India Radio office complex and staged an eight-hour sit-in after evading police.
Congress described the episode as a "game of hide-and-seek" and shared a map showing how the two leaders changed their route to enter the complex after police stopped their march.
On Wednesday, opposition leaders met for lunch at a restaurant in central Delhi before attempting to march to Jantar Mantar. Police stopped the march and detained several leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.
Police also registered FIRs in connection with the two flash protests.
Opposition MPs again gathered today for lunch at a restaurant in central Delhi before heading to Raj Ghat.
Unlike the previous two days, there was no confrontation between protesters and police and no mass detention of opposition leaders.
Police action and the detention of opposition leaders had become a central part of the opposition's political messaging over the previous two days, with Congress leaders accusing the government of restricting their right to protest.
