Hundreds of INDIA bloc activists demonstrated near Lower PMG Square on Sunday against the alleged police excesses during Opposition protests in Delhi.
More than 200 leaders from Odisha subsequently left for Delhi to join a rally scheduled for Monday, Congress leaders said, signalling an escalation of the Opposition campaign.
Protesters marched from Master Canteen Square to Lower PMG Square, demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the restoration of names deleted from electoral rolls and the replacement of electronic voting machines with ballot papers.
They sought changes to the process for appointing the chief election commissioner, proposing a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Santosh Singh Saluja questioned the Centre’s decision to protect Kumar. “We are yet to understand what compelled the Centre to give protection to the CEC. What vested interest did they have? They have been completely exposed. Our fight will continue till we reach our goal,” Saluja said.
OPCC spokesperson Aurobinda Das described Sunday’s demonstration as a symbolic protest against the "police action" in Delhi.