Coalition of citizens and farmers calls for nationwide protests against electoral roll revision

NEW DELHI — A broad coalition of citizens, farmers, workers, and daily wage earners has called for nationwide protests and marches on Friday to protest the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The demonstrations, organised under the banner of the “People’s March to Reclaim Democracy” and supported by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), aim to contest what organisers term an illegal voter roll revision. Protesters are demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the restoration of voting rights for 13.41 crore citizens, the prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and legislative amendments to the Election Commissioners Act, 2023.

The mobilization highlights growing tensions over electoral administration and governance standards. The statutory framework governing the appointment of election officials, under the Election Commissioners Act, 2023, has emerged as a central point of contention for protesting groups and agrarian organisations seeking institutional accountability.

According to campaign umbrella People Against SIR, more than 300 organisations have joined the campaign, with protests scheduled at thousands of locations across roughly 25 states and Union territories. Alongside street demonstrations, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha has instructed its member organisations to submit formal memorandums addressed to President Droupadi Murmu via local district and sub-divisional magistrates.

In the national capital, participants are scheduled to gather at 1 pm near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Gole Dak Khana, and Gole Market before commencing a march toward the Election Commission of India.

“We will assemble at Gole Dak Khana near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and begin our protest march towards the Election Commission,” said P Krishan Prasad. “If the police try to stop us, we will continue our demonstration there. We are determined to press our demands and, if necessary, escalate the protest into a nationwide movement.”

Ahead of the demonstrations, People Against SIR alleged that police have entered citizens’ homes and placed individuals under house arrest, characterising the law enforcement response as an undeclared emergency. The participation of several opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party remains uncertain.

Organisers plan to hold parallel marches at district and tehsil headquarters, as well as state capitals. If intercepted by law enforcement authorities during the capital march, protesters intend to convene a “People’s Parliament” on site.