Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- India’s Cockroach movement is throwing its weight behind Indian opposition’s November 1 rally against the poll body chief
- A group called ‘RSS Friends’ has registered itself in the US to step up outreach
- Cyclone Arnab leaves devastation behind in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
Here are the biggest headlines from India on Thursday, October 29:
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Skip next section ‘Cockroaches’ back opposition-led rally against election chief 10/29/2026October 29, 2026
‘Cockroaches’ back opposition-led rally against election chief
India’s political pressure group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), last evening, decided to back the opposition bloc’s upcoming November 1 rally, marking a shift in protest strategy.
The CJP said India’s election commission has undermined people’s right to choose their leaders through the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which reportedly deleted over 13 crore (130 million) names from voter lists across the country.
That includes people who have died, moved away or were appearing on lists more than once, but critics argue the massive number is also likely to include a large number of eligible voters.
The CJP, several student organizations and opposition parties — with Indian National Congress’ Rahul Gandhi at the helm — have been protesting against the revisions and alleged irregularities purported by India’s election chief for over a month now.
What else did the CJP say?
“Gyanesh Kumar has lost the trust required to oversee free and fair elections. His resignation is therefore necessary to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission,” the CJP said in a statement published on X by founder Abhijeet Dipke.
“Our constitution gave every adult citizen the right to vote. It is our responsibility to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of that. The Cockraoch Janta Party will therefore support all organizations fighting for free and fair election in our country,” it said.
Dipke’s caption read: “The Cockroach Janta Party extends its support to the INDIA Bloc’s November 1 rally. Nation above all!”
The CJP and Gandhi’s Indian National Congress have been running parallel campaigns so far with similar demands. However, they have not expressed direct support or held joint rallies before this, possibly in an effort not to alienate people who may relate to one group but not to the other.
However, the CJP now has limited choices. Its leaders were detained and arrested while protesting earlier this month and made to sign a peace bond which prohibits them from calling for mass protestsin central Delhi. Lending their support to someone else’s call for protest could be the loophole they needed.
https://p.dw.com/p/5OnYdSkip next section Welcome to our coverage10/29/2026October 29, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Hello! and welcome back to DW’s India news blog.
This is Mahima Kapoor reporting from Studio Delhi, where the weather is cooling down by the day but the Indian opposition’s campaign against a controversial revision of electoral rolls is heating up.
After months of distance, India’s Cockroach movement has thrown its weight behind the country’s largest alliance of parties opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
This move came just days before an massive rally led by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, to demand poll body chief Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and roll back the revision to voter lists. What remains to be seen is if, when and how the Modi government will respond.
Speaking of chaos, a tropical cyclonic storm dubbed ‘Arnab’ tore through India’s east coast on Wednesday. Local authorities in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, which faced the brunt of the storm, reported toppled trees, disrupted powers, and significant damage to property, crops and lives.
Moving away from home, India’s largest right-wing hindutva organization seems to have new “friends” in the US, looking to improve the group’s image and gather support of Indians overseas.
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