Bengaluru: Noted political economist Parakala Prabhakar, the husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is expected to join a nationwide protest against the revision of electoral rolls on October 23.
The protest against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is being organised by the People Against SIR alliance, which is calling for the process to be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign.
Prabhakar is expected to share the stage with Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, actor-activist Prakash Raj, All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait.
“Har gali mein Jantar Mantar! Friday, 23 October, 2026. People’s March to Restore Democracy. Let’s Rise to the Challenge,” Prabhakar wrote in a post on X. Opposition leaders have also been invited, although their participation has not been confirmed.
The alliance has called for demonstrations across the country under the slogan “Har Haath Mein Tiranga, Har Gali Mein Jantar Mantar” — a call to bring protests to streets across India.
Har gali me Jantar Mantar !Friday, 23 October, 2026People’s March to Restore Democracy Let’s Rise to the Challenge https://t.co/JFq3tzujsS
— Parakala Prabhakar (@parakala) October 21, 2026
Campaigners argue that the SIR exercise could leave eligible voters off electoral rolls. The Election Commission says the revision is intended to update voter lists, while allegations that the process could lead to politically motivated deletions remain disputed.
Why is Prabhakar opposing the SIR?
Prabhakar joined a CJP protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on 8 October, alongside actor Prakash Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
At the demonstration, he described the SIR exercise as a 'bloodless political genocide of citizenship', arguing that it could result in large numbers of voters losing their voting rights.
He warned that the process risked creating two groups of citizens: those who retained the right to vote and those who lost it despite continuing to be Indian citizens.
Prabhakar has frequently criticised the government’s economic policies and governance. In 2024, he described the electoral bonds controversy as one of the biggest scams in the world and predicted that it would have electoral consequences for the BJP.
Protests follow restrictions at Jantar Mantar
The planned march comes after Delhi Police acted against a CJP protest scheduled for 10 October. Jantar Mantar, a prominent protest venue in the capital, was subsequently de-notified as a designated protest site.
The People Against SIR alliance has demanded Kumar’s removal and called for the appointment of a new Election Commission through what it describes as an impartial process.
The alliance brings together groups representing students, farmers, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities. It has urged people to organise demonstrations across the country on 23 October.
The mobilisation comes as the INDIA bloc and the CJP have announced a pause in their campaigns against the SIR exercise and Kumar.
