India protests over removal of 130 million voter names
Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar and allege that the voter-roll revision lacks transparency. The commission and the ruling party deny political bias.
About 130 million names were removed during a verification of India’s voter rolls, according to data from the Election Commission cited by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party says 63 million people had moved, 28 million were dead, 10 million entries were duplicates and 30 million people could not be traced. Opposition groups accuse the authorities of disproportionately removing Muslim and other minority voters. Those allegations have not been established, and the commission and BJP deny them.
The revision began last year ahead of elections in Bihar and has since expanded to most of the country. The dispute intensified after reports that many voters in Bihar and West Bengal could not find their names on the rolls and were unable to vote. The Indian Express reported that two deputy election commissioners repeatedly raised concerns about registration procedures and digital systems. The commission said differing views are normal in internal deliberations and that its decisions were lawful.
Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar is at the centre of the protests. Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party are calling for his resignation. On Thursday, October 8, thousands of movement supporters and student groups demonstrated in Bengaluru, the Associated Press reported. A protest was announced for Delhi on Saturday, October 10, but police did not grant permission. The demonstrations come as at least seven Indian states prepare for elections next year.
The commission says a voter’s name can be removed after death, relocation, a duplicate entry or when the person cannot be traced. Officials are required to record the reasons. People missing from draft rolls may request inclusion before the final lists are published and appeal a rejection. Those excluded from final rolls may also challenge the decision or register again.
The BJP attributes its political dominance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and the country’s economic growth. Opposition parties say the scale of removals and lengthy appeals could deprive people of their right to vote. The materials reviewed provide no independent confirmation that the process was deliberately used to alter election results in the BJP’s favour. The Election Commission has announced deadline extensions in some states and home visits by officials to collect documents.
