Bengaluru: A man wearing a mask bearing the face of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, his hands in handcuffs and an actor dressed as a police officer beside him, was paraded through a mock jail setup at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Thursday, November 5. Dressed in khaki shorts, the impersonator was presented as a symbolic representation of what the INDIA bloc alleged was the Election Commission's partisan functioning.
The theatrical demonstration was among the more conspicuous moments of the INDIA bloc's protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The protest, which began around 11 am, brought together leaders and members of the Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, CPI(ML) Liberation, Forward Bloc and Samajwadi Party, along with representatives of progressive organisations, Dalit groups, student and youth organisations.
The central demand included scrapping the SIR exercise and seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The demonstration in Bengaluru was part of the INDIA bloc's nationwide campaign and followed the opposition alliance's rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on November 1.
The protest saw the participation of several prominent political figures from Karnataka.
Among those present were Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president B K Hariprasad. Congress leaders and ministers, including Priyank Kharge and Dinesh Gundu Rao, were also associated with the demonstration.
Actor Prakash Raj joined representatives of the Left parties, including CPI(M) state secretary K Prakash, CPI leader Sathi Sundaresh, CPI(ML) Liberation state secretary Clifton D'Rozario, Forward Bloc leader J R Shivashankar and Samajwadi Party state president N Manjappa.
Representatives of Sarvodaya Karnataka, Eddelu Karnataka, the Federation of Dalit Organisations and the Republican Party of India were also reported to have participated.
The presence of Left organisations and civil society groups gave the gathering a broader political composition, extending beyond the Congress-led opposition's campaign.
The protest was also being held simultaneously with demonstrations organised by District Congress Committees at district headquarters across Karnataka.
At the centre of the agitation is the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, an exercise that the opposition parties have repeatedly questioned.
The INDIA bloc has alleged that the manner in which the SIR is being conducted could result in the exclusion of eligible voters from electoral rolls, particularly those belonging to vulnerable and marginalised communities.
Opposition parties have also questioned the transparency and accountability of the Election Commission, alleging that constitutional institutions are being used in ways that undermine democratic processes.
The demand for the CEC's resignation was also reiterated by BK Hariprasad, who said the agitation would continue until Kumar stepped down.
"Till Gyanesh Kumar resigns, this protest will continue," Hariprasad said.
Mock arrest becomes a visual centrepiece
While speeches and political demands formed the core of the gathering, a symbolic political accusation in the form of a mock arrest of Gyanesh Kumar provided one of the day's most visually striking moments.
In the enactment, a demonstrator wearing a mask of the CEC was shown in handcuffs, accompanied by a person dressed as a police officer. The impersonator was subsequently paraded in a mock jail setting.
The use of khaki shorts in the enactment was intended by the protesters to suggest alleged political links between the Election Commission and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The slogans and messaging at the gathering centred on opposition to SIR, electoral accountability and the demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
'Deleted voters should get justice'
Addressing the gathering, DK Shivakumar said that voters whose names had been deleted from electoral rolls, except those who were deceased, should receive justice.
"We don't agree with the way SIR is ongoing. All the voters whose names have been deleted, except for the deceased, should get justice. Until justice is served, we will continue to fight," he said.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge also called for Kumar's resignation, questioning the Election Commission's responses to concerns surrounding voter deletions and the use of Forms 6 and 7.
Kharge alleged that the Election Commission had repeatedly changed its position on these issues and had failed to adequately answer questions about the software used in the electoral roll revision process.
These allegations formed part of the opposition's larger argument that the Election Commission needed to be held accountable for the manner in which the SIR was being implemented.
The Election Commission's position and the opposition's allegations remain distinct: the claims of politically motivated voter deletions are allegations made by opposition parties and should not be treated as independently established findings.
The agitation moves beyond Bengaluru
The Freedom Park demonstration was intended as the beginning of a wider campaign in Karnataka rather than a standalone protest.
Hariprasad announced that Congress district units were holding simultaneous demonstrations at district headquarters on Thursday. The agitation would subsequently be extended to taluk and block levels.
The strategy follows the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, where opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, had called for the scrapping of SIR and demanded Kumar's resignation.
For the Karnataka opposition, the next phase of the campaign will involve taking the issue beyond Bengaluru and mobilising party cadres and affiliated organisations across the state.