(Reuters)
NEW DELHI, Nov 1 – Indian security personnel carrying batons and shields and accompanied by riot control vehicles surrounded the site of a planned opposition protest in Delhi on Sunday that is set to demand the resignation of the country’s election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists.
Authorities warned of traffic diversions ahead of the protest march and rally that will be led by Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. The opposition says it expects hundreds of thousands of people to participate in what it says will be a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Opposition parties, student organisations and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have held near-daily demonstrations since last month demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar step down over the voter list revision that critics say favour the BJP.
The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol, while the BJP has accused rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.
Analysts say the youth protests, and growing support for the opposition, form the worst crisis for Modi since he came to power in 2014. But his government remains stable and the next general election is not due until 2029.
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