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Protesters say the election commission’s voter-roll revision has removed millions of eligible voters to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP party.

Thousands of youth and opposition protesters have rallied for a third day in India demanding the resignation of the country’s election commission chief.

Thousands marched in Mumbai on Sunday, while others gathered for a third day of demonstrations in New Delhi. The protests began on Friday demanding that Election Commission of India (ECI) chief Gyanesh Kumar step down due to reports that he has overseen voter-roll revisions removing millions from electoral lists.

Protesters say the disenfranchisement stands to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both the ECI and the BJP have denied the allegations.

Led by opposition leaders Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, thousands marched in Mumbai on Sunday, waving Indian flags and calling for Kumar to step down.

In the capital, New Delhi, protesters started gathering in the early evening. As on previous days, some were detained by police as they arrived, according to the Reuters news agency.

Police in the capital have clamped down in a bid to prevent protesters from assembling over the last two days, detaining dozens and taking them away by bus.

Some of the detainees were released later on Friday and Saturday, but police registered cases against some on charges of violating orders banning mass gatherings in the centre of the capital.

“⁠I just want to tell the ruling party this much … We are angry about how you are wielding that power. ⁠It’s the people of this country who should decide who sits in power and who sits in opposition, not the election commission,” Raj Thackeray told the crowd in Mumbai.

The ECI says the voter-roll revision is designed to remove duplicate, deceased or ineligible entries and maintain electoral integrity. On Friday, it directed its officials to register eligible voters inadvertently omitted from electoral rolls.

Kumar has not publicly responded to the demands for his resignation or commented on the protests, which look set to continue over the coming days, with more rallies planned.

An alliance of India’s opposition parties plans to launch protests to “save democracy” with a march to the election commission office on Tuesday. The Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced plans for a major rally in New Delhi on October 10.

“Mumbai is out on the streets again for free and fair elections!” Abhijeet Dipke, chief of the CJP, said in a social media post on Sunday.

“Solidarity with all the protesters,” he added. “All Indians need to come together. It’s now or never!”

Josh Widdicombe took part in his first live show of Strictly Come Dancing last weekend, but the new hosts have since faced a wave of backlash. The presenting shake up seemed to leave viewers torn

A new host of Strictly Come Dancing is said to have “broken their silence” after fans of the show claimed the new format “doesn’t work”. Josh Widdicombe, 43, presented his first live show alongside Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe on Saturday night, however viewers have been left torn about the show’s new set up.

Now it appears Josh has broken his silence following the backlash as he posted on his Instagram stories on Monday (September 28) following a lot of conversation about the future of Strictly Come Dancing. It seems his fellow cast members are supporting him, as he shared what could be deemed a very telling post.

It comes after the new hosts previously made a candid confession. Earlier this month, they admitted a “stressful” change had been announced.

More recently, Josh re-shared a post that was initially published by professional dancer Lauren Oakley. It said: “We couldn’t be in safer hands than with these beautiful people.

“Strictly is about family, uplifting others, and creating a safe space for celebrity contestants to be vulnerable and do something so outside of their comfort zone.

“This trio have been so warm and welcoming, and they felt like family from the minute they stepped into the studio, and we love having them with us.

“Professional, funny, kind and fantastic at what they do. I couldn’t feel more lucky to be sharing the screen and our Saturday nights with them.”

The heartfelt post was shared with a picture of Emma, Josh and Johannes and Josh re-posted it alongside three red hearts, clearly thankful for the support. It was a very touching moment.

It comes after Strictly fans were left concerned over the new hosting format, with some claiming it “doesn’t work”. The new hosts took over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with bosses hoping they’d prove to be a power trio.

However, while fans have seemed impressed with Emma, some remain unsure about her co-hosts. The shake up has left viewers pretty divided.

One said: “Okay, I don’t want to be a hater, but three hosts is just not working. Not at all. “

Another added: “I normally enjoy Strictly, but not this year. The presenters just don’t gel.”

Meanwhile, there are some who think the format just needs to be tweaked a little. A different social media user wrote: “Josh Widdicombe could have easily taken over the Claudia Winkleman role.”

Someone else also replied: “Emma is brilliant. Josh should be upstairs.”

One more also chimed in with: “But surely it’s about the dancing? That’s great, give these presenters a chance for heaven’s sake.”