Protests Against Voter List Revisions: Parakala Prabhakar Joins Forces with Activists

Nationwide Protest Against Special Intensive Revision

In New Delhi, renowned economist and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's husband, Parakala Prabhakar, is set to participate in a nationwide protest on October 23 against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. He will share the stage with Abhijit Deepke, founder of the Cockroach People’s Party, and actor-activist Prakash Raj.

Organized by the 'People Against SIR' coalition, the protest aims to annul the SIR process and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

‘Every Street a Jantar Mantar’

A vocal critic of government economic policies, Prabhakar expressed on social media, ‘Every street a Jantar Mantar! Friday, October 23, 2026. A march for the restoration of democracy. Let’s face this challenge together.’

Expected attendees at the event include senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, AISA president Neha Bora, and author Tushar Gandhi.

Who is Parakala Prabhakar?

Parakala Prabhakar is a distinguished economist and author, having studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he met Nirmala Sitharaman, and they married in 1986.

Despite his wife's affiliation with the BJP, Prabhakar has been a staunch critic of government policies. In his book, ‘The Crooked Timber of New India,’ he raises concerns about demonetization, rising unemployment, and the state of democratic institutions. He entered politics in 2009 with Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party and served as a communications advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government from 2014 to 2018. He also participated in a CJP protest in Bengaluru on October 8.

Escalating Movement Against SIR

The 'People Against SIR' coalition, formed on October 14, alleges that the SIR process is systematically removing eligible voters, particularly from marginalized communities, from the voter list. They claim that approximately 130 million voters have been excluded so far.

Following the recent removal of Jantar Mantar from the list of approved protest sites by the Delhi Police, the coalition has called for a nationwide mobilization with the slogan: ‘Every hand holds the tricolor, every street a Jantar Mantar.’