Farmers and activists rally nationwide demanding vote‑list restoration and removal of chief election commissioner

Samyukt Kisan Morcha and the People Against SIR platform launched coordinated protests across India on Friday, Oct 23, 2026, demanding that voters removed from electoral rolls be restored and that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar be removed and prosecuted. Demonstrations are planned at district and tehsil headquarters, state capitals and in Delhi, where activists aim to march to the Election Commission's office. Delhi Police issued a traffic advisory directing diversions from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara and Jantar Mantar to manage the expected crowd. Earlier, SKM wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, accusing Kumar of breaching his constitutional pledge and urging legal action. Multiple trade unions and civil‑society groups have pledged support to the farmers’ march. In Delhi, protestors were halted at Ashoka Road and have begun a sit‑down sit‑in. The police presence and roadblocks are intended to keep the march orderly while authorities monitor the protest. The movement reflects growing anger over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which removed thousands of names and sparked concerns about disenfranchisement.

Context

The Special Intensive Revision is a periodic cleaning of electoral rolls intended to delete ineligible or duplicate entries, but critics say it has mistakenly removed legitimate voters. Such deletions can affect election outcomes in closely contested constituencies. The protests echo earlier farmer agitations against government policies.