People Against SIR has invited Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora, actor Prakash Raj and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan to participate. Economist Parakala Prabhakar, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, author Tushar Gandhi and student leader Aishe Ghosh are also among those approached.
The organisers are demanding the cancellation of the voter-list revision exercise and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They have appealed to opposition parties belonging to the INDIA alliance to support the mobilisation, although their participation has not been confirmed.
The Delhi procession is scheduled to begin near Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Connaught Place and proceed towards the Election Commission’s office near Patel Chowk. Organisers say they will not seek police permission, setting up a potential dispute with authorities over restrictions on public gatherings.
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita remain in force in the New Delhi district. The restrictions cover processions, demonstrations and assemblies of five or more people without prior written authorisation. Delhi Police had not publicly responded to the organisers’ plans when the march was announced.
The coalition said in an October 18 statement that its proposed People’s March to Reclaim Democracy would proceed without applications for police approval anywhere in the country. It also urged police and security personnel to refrain from using force against peaceful participants.
If the planned route is blocked, the organisers say demonstrators will convene a People’s Parliament at the point where they are stopped and disperse after singing the national anthem. The proposed alternative would allow a public expression of dissent even if the procession cannot reach the commission’s premises.
The nationwide mobilisation carries the slogan “Har haath mein Tiranga, har gali mein Jantar Mantar”, calling for a tricolour in every hand and a protest space in every street. Another campaign slogan extends the idea to villages and individual homes, encouraging demonstrations beyond established protest venues in the capital.
People Against SIR was constituted on October 14 at Surjeet Bhavan in New Delhi. It brings together organisations representing students, farmers, workers, women, Dalits, Adivasis and minority communities. Its campaign challenges the electoral revision process on the grounds that eligible voters could be excluded from the rolls.
The alliance has demanded restoration of names removed during the exercise and a return to electoral lists predating 2024, followed by verification through social audits. These are demands advanced by the protesters, rather than findings that the revision has unlawfully removed particular voters.
The Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party have rejected allegations surrounding the SIR exercise. The commission maintains responsibility for maintaining accurate electoral registers, while critics argue that the procedures and documentation requirements warrant closer scrutiny to protect voting rights.
The coalition has also sought action against Kumar and changes to the legal framework governing election commissioners. Its demands include repeal of provisions that it says shield election officials from accountability. No determination of wrongdoing by Kumar follows from the allegations raised by the campaign.
Friday’s call follows police action against earlier demonstrations in the capital. Dipke and other Cockroach Janta Party members were detained ahead of a planned October 10 protest. Bora, Ghosh and Bhushan were also detained during protests that day and subsequently released.
The earlier confrontations have sharpened attention on the rules governing protest locations. Jantar Mantar, long associated with public demonstrations, was no longer available as a designated protest site under the arrangements cited during the previous mobilisation.
Prabhakar has publicly endorsed the October 23 mobilisation, urging participation under the Jantar Mantar slogan. Invitations to other prominent figures should not be taken as confirmation that each will attend a particular march or appear at the Delhi gathering.
The coalition’s organisers have asked supporters elsewhere to arrange local marches carrying the national flag, rather than depend exclusively on a single gathering in New Delhi. Specific attendance figures and the number of participating locations have not been established ahead of the demonstrations. The alliance has encouraged participants to organise within their neighbourhoods, allowing supporters outside Delhi to take part without travelling to the capital. Its appeal covers urban streets and rural communities, with local organisers expected to determine arrangements for individual gatherings.
