The farmers’ Coalition Join Widening Protests Over Voter Roll Revamp

Indian farmers who helped force Prime Minister Narendra Modi into a rare policy retreat more than four years ago joined nationwide protests against a contentious overhaul of voter rolls on Friday, widening a movement against the country’s Election Commission.

Hundreds of protesters, including workers of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a coalition of farmers’ organizations, as well as students, left leaning political groups and civil society organizations, tried to march toward the Election Commission’s headquarters in New Delhi on Friday before some were detained by the police.

The farmers’ coalition, which led the year-long agitation that forced Modi to repeal the controversial farm laws in 2021, also plans to write to President Droupadi Murmu demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, said Avik Saha, a senior leader of the group.

The coalition represents farmers including millions of smallholders with less than two hectares (five acres) of land. The farmers’ involvement broadens a movement that has so far been driven largely by students, young people and opposition parties, bringing in one of India’s most influential voting blocs.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha is preparing for what Saha described as a “massive uprising against the government” starting Nov. 26.

“The protests are spreading to rural areas,” Saha said. Friday’s demonstrations are a “trailer” for the wider agitation.

New Delhi has been hit by repeated protests over the election controversy in recent weeks. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained by police earlier this month as part of demonstrations against the poll body, while the arrests of student leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were later released, added to tensions. 

On Friday, security was noticeably lighter in New Delhi than during last week’s student-led protests, when authorities sealed off parts of the capital with barricades and deployed riot police and paramilitary forces around government buildings and protest sites.

The government has extended the deployment of thousands of federal security personnel in New Delhi through Oct. 31 over concerns about further protests by political and other groups, Press Trust of India reported, citing officials.

Modi appeared to address the widening protests on Thursday, saying movements that highlight shortcomings in government and seek reform are “necessary” in a democracy. He accused the Indian National Congress and Gandhi of drowning out legitimate critics and hijacking grassroots movements seeking change. 

The furor was stoked by an Indian Express investigation last month that found Kumar’s two fellow commissioners repeatedly objected to aspects of a sweeping update of India’s electoral rolls that removed millions from draft voter lists. The poll body has denied any wrongdoing.