Heavy security in Delhi as opposition rallies against election chief

Indian law enforcement officials armed with batons and shields surrounded the site of a planned opposition rally in New Delhi on Sunday. The rally and march are led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and the opposition expects hundreds of thousands of people to take part.

India's main opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Their demand concerns revisions to voter lists, which critics say favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party.

The opposition announced a march of nearly 1.5 km from Central Delhi to the Ramlila Maidan. Authorities warned of traffic diversions, and Delhi Traffic Police said a large gathering was expected at the venue. According to news agency ANI, riot control vehicles and dozens of security personnel were stationed outside the venue.

Senior police officer Rohit Rajbir said: "People have started coming to participate in this rally...we have ensured proper arrangements at the venue, and arrangements are also planned on the route of the march that will happen in a few hours from now."

Opposition parties, student organisations and the Cockroach Janta Party have held near-daily demonstrations since last month. The protests erupted after The Indian Express reported in September that Kumar's two deputies had raised concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.

The voter list change, which began last year, removed over 130 million names. These included 28 million people who had died, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.

Opposition parties allege the deletions disproportionately affect Muslim voters and other minorities. The poll panel and the BJP reject these allegations. The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and says wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol.

The BJP has accused its rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes. The next general election is not due until 2029.