Zeros of $L$-functions and large partial sums of Dirichlet coefficients

Let $L(s,\pi)=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\lambda_{\pi}(n)n^{-s}$ be an $L$-function that satisfies a weak form of the generalized Ramanujan conjecture. We prove that large partial sums of $\lambda_{\pi}(n)$ strongly repel the low-lying zeros of $L(s,\pi)$ away from the critical line. Our results extend and quantitatively improve preceding work of Granville and Soundararajan.