NEW DELHI: Economist Parakala Prabhakar is expected to join a nationwide protest on October 23, 2026, against

NEW DELHI — Economist Parakala Prabhakar is expected to join a nationwide protest on October 23, 2026, against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The demonstration is being organized by the People Against SIR alliance, a coalition pressing for the total scrapping of the electoral revision exercise. Mr. Prabhakar is scheduled to share the stage with Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, All India Students Association president Neha Bora, actor-activist Prakash Raj, and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait.

Mr. Prabhakar, who is married to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has maintained a record as an outspoken critic of the Centre, frequently questioning government economic policies, governance, and electoral practices. Ahead of the scheduled mobilization, he characterized the ongoing electoral revision as a “bloodless political genocide of citizenship,” alleging that the process threatens mass disenfranchisement.

The broader institutional friction stems from conflicting positions on the Election Commission’s mandate. While election authorities maintain that the revision exercise is a standard administrative procedure intended to update electoral rolls, organizers and critics allege under the slogan “Har Haath Mein Tiranga, Har Gali Mein Jantar Mantar” that the process risks disenfranchising eligible voters. The campaign follows earlier resistance, including a protest on October 8 at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park featuring Mr. Prabhakar alongside Mr. Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.

Tensions have also escalated in the national capital over demonstration venues. According to Delhi Police records, law enforcement launched a crackdown on a planned protest by the Cockroach Janata Party on October 10 and formally de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

The upcoming mobilization forms part of a wider series of political challenges confronting the poll panel. In 2024, Mr. Prabhakar publicly criticized the electoral bonds controversy, describing it as one of the largest scams globally and predicting adverse electoral consequences for the ruling party. The People Against SIR alliance has announced that the upcoming People’s March will proceed on October 23, 2026, under the banner of restoring democratic norms.