'Har gali mein Jantar Mantar': Parakala Prabhakar to join Oct 23 nationwide march against SIR

A call to defend voting rights is set to spill into streets nationwide on October 23, with economist Parakala Prabhakar joining Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and actor-activist Prakash Raj in a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Organised by the People Against SIR alliance, the march will demand the scrapping of the SIR and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, AISA president Neha Bora and author Tushar Gandhi are also expected to participate.

Parakala Prabhakar backs October 23 protest

"Har gali mein Jantar Mantar! Friday, October 23, 2026. People's march to restore democracy. Let's rise to the challenge," Prabhakar tweeted. The alliance has invited INDIA bloc parties to join the protests, but their participation has not been confirmed.

Prabhakar had joined the CJP's October 8 protest at Bengaluru's Freedom Park alongside YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and Raj. In his book, 'The Crooked Timber of New India', he criticised demonetisation, flagged unemployment and questioned what he called the weakening of democratic institutions.

People Against SIR seeks nationwide mobilisation

Formed on October 14, People Against SIR comprises groups representing students, farmers, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities. It alleged that the revision had excluded 13 crore eligible voters, particularly those from marginalised and vulnerable communities.

The alliance has urged people to hold local protests and establish "Jantar Mantars" nationwide under the slogan, "Har haath mein Tiranga, Har gali mein Jantar Mantar (The Tricolour in every hand, a Jantar Mantar in every street)". The call came after Delhi Police denotified Jantar Mantar as a protest site.

Prakash Raj said the Samyukt Kisan Morcha had joined the agitation following a meeting of around 200 organisations. "It is not just a political issue, it is the dignity of a voter, our right to vote, and that is where we are fighting," the actor said, adding that the protest would remain peaceful.

The campaign follows protests by the INDIA bloc and CJP after an Indian Express report suggested Kumar had overridden 14 objections from fellow Election Commissioners over 10 months. Rahul Gandhi linked the report to his wider 'vote chori' campaign, while the October 23 march seeks to sustain the agitation during a pause by the INDIA bloc and CJP.