India’s election commission orders review of voter-roll changes
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Opposition parties in India say voter lists have been manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission of India insists that it has acted lawfully.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The Election Commission of India ordered a review of its voter-roll software after concerns about millions of voters being excluded from updated lists.
- Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party accused the commission of manipulating voter lists to benefit the BJP and demanded the chief's resignation.
- A committee with a senior official and an independent expert will check software compliance, and local officials will verify flagged voters in person to improve the process.
AI generated
NEW DELHI - The Election Commission of India ordered a review of its voter-roll software on Sept 26 after a newspaper reported that its chief had been questioned by his deputies over changes to voter lists that excluded millions of voters.
Opposition parties have said the lists have been manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Election Commission of India has said differences are normal in any institution, and that all its actions were lawful.
The Indian Express newspaper reported this week that two election commissioners had raised questions or expressed concerns to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at least 14 times in 10 months, mostly in connection with the process of updating voters’ lists that began in 2025.
Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have demanded Kumar’s resignation.
The CJP said it would launch nationwide protests on Oct 2 if he did not quit by Sept 26.
The Commission said on Sept 26 that a committee led by a senior election official and including an independent technology expert would examine whether the software complied with election laws and rules.
It also said local officials would visit voters flagged for discrepancies instead of routinely requiring them to appear at government offices. REUTERS
Police detaining a supporter of India's main opposition Congress party in New Delhi, India, on Sept 25, during a protest demanding resignation of India's chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
PHOTO: REUTERS