Delhi shuts metro stations, restricts traffic ahead of new protest against election chief

Authorities closed six metro stations and warned of traffic disruptions in Delhi ​on Monday, as opposition parties planned to march to the Supreme Court in protest against a controversial revision of ‌voter lists that has sparked days of unrest in the Indian capital.

Opposition parties and supporters of the "cockroach" youth movement have taken to the streets almost daily this month to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision that critics say benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata ​Party (BJP).

The revision that started last year saw over 130 million names – more than the population of Japan – being deleted ​from voter lists, including the dead, the relocated and people who could not be traced.

Police detained thousands of protesters in ⁠Delhi over the weekend, including leaders of the 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP), as supporters of the youth movement sought to march in protest ​and were stopped by thousands of security personnel who locked down central Delhi.

The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said ​wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol, while the BJP has accused its rivals of trying to undermine the country's democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.

Six metro stations were closed on Monday for "security reasons", and police imposed traffic restrictions and diversions along over 20 stretches.

The main opposition Congress party announced a march ​to the Supreme Court to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice demanding an end to what it calls "vote theft" and Kumar's ​resignation.