Protests in India against voter roll revision demand CEC’s resignation

Thousands take to streets in New Delhi

Thousands of people joined an opposition-led protest in New Delhi on Sunday against changes to India’s voter lists. The protesters also demanded the resignation of the country’s chief election official, claiming the revision could benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The nationwide voter roll revision has caused political tensions and street protests over the past month. The Election Commission says the process is needed to make voter lists accurate, but opposition parties allege that it is being used to help the ruling BJP.

Both the Election Commission and the BJP have rejected these accusations. The opposition, however, continues to question the process and its impact on voters.

Rahul Gandhi leads opposition protest

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the protesters as they marched from central New Delhi to Ramlila Maidan. They raised slogans, including “vote thief, leave your seat”, and beat drums during the demonstration.

A 46-year-old protester named Nandita told AFP that her name had been removed from the voter list despite voting since she turned 18. She said, “I have been a voter since I was 18 and now I find myself struck off the list,”

“It’s important to be here because of the way things are going. The cost of living is going up… The only option is to take to the streets peacefully.”

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online youth-led protest movement, has also joined the campaign against the voter list changes. Some of its leaders were temporarily detained by police during demonstrations last month.

Removal of 133 million names raises concerns

More than 133 million names have reportedly been removed from India’s electoral lists during the revision, according to figures published by Indian media and cited by opposition parties in court documents. Critics say the removals have affected minority communities, particularly Muslims, more heavily.

Members of the BJP have repeatedly claimed that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have illegally entered India’s voter lists. These allegations have added to the political dispute over the revision.

Election authorities say the changes are aimed at removing duplicate, deceased and fake entries from voter lists. They have also stated that people who are eligible to vote can still apply to have their names included.

Human Rights Watch criticises voter list changes

Human Rights Watch has strongly criticised the removal of voters, describing the process as “arbitrary and deeply flawed”. The organisation said the changes could prevent some of India’s most vulnerable people from exercising their voting rights.

“The authorities should immediately scrap the voter roll revision process that has denied India’s most marginalised people their right to vote and other government services,” it said in a statement this week.

The CJP has played an active role in opposing the voter list revision. Several of its leaders were temporarily detained during protests last month, adding to concerns about the growing dispute.

The voter roll revision has become a major political issue in India, with opposition parties questioning whether the process is fair. The removal of millions of names has also raised concerns about the voting rights of minorities and other vulnerable groups.

Election authorities say they are only cleaning up voter records, but they must ensure that eligible citizens are not excluded. A fair and transparent process is important to maintain public trust in elections.

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