Opposition groups intensify calls for Indian election chief to resign
Left parties, farmers’ groups, trade unions and youth organisations in India said they would expand protests seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They allege that a voter-roll revision removed eligible voters, while the Election Commission’s critics cited surveys they said found deleted voters still living in their constituencies.
Opposition groups in India have announced plans to intensify protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter-roll revisions. The Left parties, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, trade unions, student groups and youth organisations accuse the Election Commission of India of removing millions of voters in several states during the Special Intensive Revision process. The commission’s position was not included in the supplied material.
CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankara Bhattacharya said his party conducted house-to-house checks in constituencies in Bihar where large-scale deletions were reported during the 2025 revision. He said the survey found some deleted voters still living in their villages. In Aigaon and Ziradei, Bhattacharya said the party checked voters removed before or during the revision.
In three booths in Aigaon, he said 46 of 204 people whose names had been deleted before the exercise were still residing in the area. He also said that 77 of 665 voters deleted during the revision were found in four surveyed booths. For Ziradei, Bhattacharya said 122 of 665 voters deleted during the revision were still living across nine surveyed booths.
He added that 15 of 189 people removed before the exercise were also found there. The All India Students’ Association alleged that changes to Form 6, the application used to add names to electoral rolls, could prevent young people from registering. AISA president Neha said police restrictions and force had been used against student demonstrations in Delhi, though details of injuries or arrests were not provided.
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions said poor, marginalised and migrant workers were particularly affected because they could be forced to travel to restore their registration. The farmers’ organisation demanded Kumar’s removal and prosecution, and called for changes to the law governing appointments to the election commission.
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