The Election Commission of India defended its special voter roll revision on Thursday after the opposition Congress party escalated protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar across several states. The Commission insisted the exercise was lawful and transparent.

Congress workers burned effigies of Kumar in Bhopal on Wednesday, accusing the Commission of enabling the deletion and manipulation of voter names to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The party has announced plans to mobilise supporters for rallies in Delhi in November.

The dispute follows weeks of confrontation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has described as a mechanism for "vote theft". The ECI has repeatedly denied the allegations and asked parties to submit complaints through official channels.

Congress general secretary organisation K.C. Venugopal said the party would intensify its street agitation and demand the Commission halt the revision before upcoming state elections. BJP spokespersons dismissed the protests as an attempt to discredit India's electoral machinery ahead of polls the party expects to win.

The dispute has deepened the standoff between the opposition and the constitutional body that oversees the world's largest democracy, with both sides preparing for a prolonged confrontation through the winter session.