CPI(M) Protest Against Electoral Roll Revision on Dussehra

In New Delhi on 20 October, leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a protest against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The demonstration took place outside the CPI(M) headquarters at AKG Bhawan, where protesters burnt an effigy marked "Vote Chori-SIR". Senior party leader Brinda Karat addressed the crowd, asserting that those fighting to protect voting rights embody the forces of good.

Karat drew parallels between the festival of Dussehra, which signifies the triumph of good over evil, and the current political struggle to safeguard democracy. She stated, "Today signifies victory of good over evil. The good are those who are defending the right to vote. The evil are those who are destroying democracy and snatching away the right to vote."

The protest involved slogans aimed at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with chants including "Vote chor, gaddi chhor" (Vote thief, leave the throne) and "Jantantra pe hamla nahi sahenge" (We won’t tolerate an attack on democracy). CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali condemned the arrest of leaders from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were detained amid ongoing protests against the SIR. She accused the government of intimidation tactics against dissenters, stating, "This is very wrong. They have not committed any crime. This government wants to scare people who are fighting against it. The government is scared, we are not."

Das and Ranka were arrested on 14 October during protests against the SIR and were remanded to judicial custody, which has since been extended.

Other prominent CPI(M) leaders, including Ashok Dhawale, Mariam Dhawale, Vijoo Krishnan, Hannan Mollah, Nilotpal Basu, and P Krishna Prasad participated in the protest. This demonstration forms part of a broader series of actions by various political groups and civil society organisations against the SIR and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with allegations of significant deletions from voter rolls and misconduct by the Election Commission being reported by the CJP.