India’s “Cockroach” youth movement has held protests in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over revisions to the country’s voter lists, according to the Associated Press.
The movement, which began as an online campaign and now calls itself the Cockroach Janata Party, is seeking to turn the demonstrations into a nationwide campaign. Hundreds of supporters gathered in Mumbai, India’s financial hub, while student and civil society groups attempted to rally separately at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi.
Police prevented the New Delhi gathering from taking place, barricaded the site and detained dozens of protesters, as well as some opposition leaders who were heading there, the Associated Press reported.
The protests add to mounting pressure on India’s Election Commission, which oversees elections across the country. Critics and opposition parties accuse the commission of altering voter registrations in a way that could benefit the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The commission and the government deny any wrongdoing.
The dispute centers on a process known as Special Intensive Revision. The revisions began last year in the eastern state of Bihar ahead of state elections and have since expanded to most of India’s states and federally administered territories.
The Election Commission says the process is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring that eligible voters remain on the rolls. Critics, however, say the documents required to establish eligibility have been confusing and difficult for many voters to provide. They warn that the process could leave millions of legitimate voters off the registration lists and unable to vote.
Election Commission data shows that voter lists in some regions could shrink by as much as 30%.
Opposition parties and activists also accuse Mr Kumar of political bias and allege that the revisions benefit Mr Modi’s party. Those allegations have been rejected by the Election Commission and the governing party.
The Indian Express reported last month that two of the three election commissioners had formally objected to several decisions involving voter-list revisions, registration procedures and the commission’s digital systems. According to that report, the two commissioners questioned the legality of some decisions, but Mr Kumar disregarded their objections. Indian law requires the three-member Election Commission to make decisions by majority vote.
The commission disputed the report, saying it reflected “differing views and deliberations” among the commissioners rather than formal written objections.
The demonstrations mark a new phase for the Cockroach movement, which emerged earlier this year amid anger over high youth unemployment and leaked examination papers. Led by Abhijeet Dipke, the movement gained national prominence after organizing mass protests over exam leaks. Those demonstrations culminated in the resignation of India’s education minister in July, a significant political setback for Mr Modi’s government.
The movement has since broadened its focus beyond education to include government accountability and democratic institutions. Its campaign against the voter-list revisions now places it alongside student groups, civil society organizations and opposition parties challenging the Election Commission’s handling of the electoral rolls.
The commission maintains that the revisions are meant to protect the integrity of voter lists. Protesters and opposition groups say the process could instead exclude eligible voters. The dispute remains unresolved as the Cockroach movement calls for further demonstrations across India.
