Delhi protesters march against voter roll revision and CEC head
Around 500 protesters marched through Central Delhi on October 23, 2026, demanding the rollback of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commission head Gyanesh Kumar, according to The Hindu.
The demonstration brought together students, youth, women, farmers, and civil society groups under the banner of People Against SIR. Participants assembled near the Gol Dak Khana roundabout at the intersection of Kali Bari Marg and Bhai Vir Singh Marg before trying to push toward the Election Commission of India headquarters on Ashoka Road. Bloomberg reported that left-leaning political groups and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha also joined the mobilization.
Barricades and Detentions on Ashoka Road
Security personnel met the march with multiple barricades roughly 500 metres into the route on Ashoka Road. Police warned the crowd about prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita. While The Hindu reported that Delhi Police detained around 20 protesters who were later released, protesters claimed that roughly 50 individuals were rounded up. The Times of India put the total number of detentions across the city at over 100.
Police registered at least one first information report against demonstrators for violating prohibitory orders. Activists including Yogendra Yadav, Communist Party of India leader Annie Raja, and All India Kisan Sabha vice-president Inderjeet Singh participated in the march. Mr. Singh criticized the police powers granted under the administrative arrangement, stating that authorities acted as both judge and court in proceedings against detained citizens.
Farmers Hold Demonstrations Across 88 Cities
The Delhi mobilization formed part of a wider national protest schedule running from October 23 to November 1 across 88 cities in 18 states, as noted by The Times of India. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha reported that farmers held parallel demonstrations at district and tehsil headquarters, submitting memoranda addressed to President Droupadi Murmu through local magistrates. Protesters from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh participated in the demonstrations.
Economist and political commentator Parakala Prabhakar also aligned with the movement, having previously criticized the revision process as a threat to voter eligibility. The People Against SIR collective, which coalesced following an emergency consultation involving more than 200 organizations, demands that electoral rolls return to their pre-2024 versions and undergo updates via social audits.
More on The Hindu
Delhi Protest Against CEC: દિલ્હી પોલીસે AISA ની વિદ્યાર્થી નેતા Neha Bora ની અટકાયત કરીDelhi Protest Against CEC, Neha Bora, AISA Student Leader, Neha Bora Detained, Delhi Police Detention, Student Protest Delhi, CEC Protest, AISA Protest, Gujarat Samachar pic.twitter.com/y6qNYzIT7e