Why India's tens of millions of voter deletions have led to widespread protests

AI Summary

India’s voter-roll verification removed about 130 million names, prompting protests and opposition claims that minorities and other groups were unfairly excluded to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP. The Election Commission and BJP deny manipulation as critics demand the commission chief’s resignation ahead of important state elections.

India’s verification exercise of its nearly one billion voters has sparked protests across the country, with opposition parties alleging that the removal of 130 million names from electoral rolls has unfairly benefited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party are demanding the ouster of Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar and have vowed a huge protest ​in the capital, Delhi, on Saturday. Election Commission data cited by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party shows about 130 million names, more than the population of Japan, have been deleted from ‌electoral rolls during the verification exercise, including 63 million people who had relocated and 30m who could not be traced. The BJP and the Commission deny allegations of manipulation, although opposition parties say Muslim voters and other minorities, who are unlikely to support the Hindu nationalist ruling party, are disproportionately impacted by the deletions. They say the deletions have affected the outcome of some recent state elections that the BJP won, and have cast a shadow on the electoral process in the world’s biggest ​democracy. The BJP says Modi’s popularity and India’s economic growth are some reasons for their electoral dominance. Here are some details about the voter verification drive, which has become one of the biggest political controversies ​of Modi’s 12-year tenure ahead of crucial state elections starting early next year. What’s happening? Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party youth movement, farmers’ groups and opposition parties ⁠are set to protest in Delhi on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Kumar. Police say they have not granted permission, and CJP has reported preemptive detentions of some protest leaders. Sporadic protests have been going on across India ​since a report by the Indian Express newspaper in late September said Kumar’s two deputies raised several concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems. The Commission says differing views are normal in internal deliberations, ​and has denied favouring any party. Demonstrators take part in a protest organized by opposition parties demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in Ahmedabad, India, October 8. — Reuters Modi’s BJP has accused groups opposed to it of trying to undermine the country’s democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes. Why does it matter? At least seven Indian states will hold elections next year, including BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, the most populous and considered a bellwether state in national politics. Verification in Uttar Pradesh began in October 2025 and resulted in 13 per cent of names being deleted, according to local media reports. Voters with their names missing need to prove their credentials ​before being enrolled, and many have complained about the process. Verifying a billion voters: the controversy India started verification of its voter rolls last year ahead of elections in the eastern state of Bihar, ruled by a BJP ​coalition. The review has now covered the majority of Indian states. While voter roll revisions are routine, this round became controversial after large numbers of voters in states such as Bihar and West Bengal found their names missing from electoral ‌rolls and were ⁠unable to cast ballots. The BJP won power in West Bengal for the first time in May. Citing Election Commission data, the BJP says that of the 130m names deleted from voter lists, 28m are dead, 63m have relocated, 10m are duplicates and 30m could not be traced by officials. Opposition parties, including Congress, have accused Kumar of bias and alleged that the process benefits the BJP, charges the Election Commission and the party deny. The Indian Express story said the two deputies to the election commissioner had expressed concerns to Kumar at least 14 times in 10 months, but those concerns were not taken into consideration. The Election Commission said all its decisions ​were lawful. The report prompted opposition leaders and members of ​the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, which in July forced ⁠the education minister to quit after weeks of protest, to launch nationwide demonstrations. Demonstrators break the barricade as they protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in Patna, India, on September 28, 2026. — Reuters What happens to voters removed from the rolls? The Election Commission says names are only removed when a voter has died, is mentioned more than once on the rolls, has moved to another region or is untraceable. Officers are required to record detailed reasons why a voter ​is deleted. People whose names do not appear in draft rolls can request inclusion before final voter lists are published and also raise appeals if such ​requests are denied. Voters excluded from ⁠final rolls can also challenge the decision. To participa