NEW DELHI: Major protests have convulsed the Indian capital for more than a week as the opposition Congress party and young people, spearheaded by the “Cockroach” movement, demand the resignation of the top election official.
The dispute centres on the removal of 130 million voters from electoral rolls, a move that critics say benefited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party in recent state elections, claims denied by the poll body and his Bharatiya Janata Party.
WHAT IS THE REVISION AND WHY IS IT BEING DONE?
The exercise, or Special Intensive Revision, is a house-to-house revision of the voter rolls, launched in the eastern state of Bihar in June 2025 by the Election Commission, to update voter lists and remove duplicate and ineligible voters, before being expanded nationwide. The Commission is an independent constitutional body, though its chief was appointed by a government-majority panel, drawing allegations of political bias, which it denies.
In contrast to the past system of voluntary updates to electoral rolls by voters, the SIR – the largest such exercise in nearly two decades – has drawn criticism for using centralised software, with limited powers given to local election officials who check if voters have died, moved or are ineligible.
Critics say the centralised system denies local officials the chance to correct errors, resulting in discrepancies that have struck millions from voter rolls or sent many scrambling to locate ancestral documents or launch legal challenges.
WHY IS IT CONTENTIOUS?
The strict paperwork rules, short deadlines and large-scale deletions that characterise the exercise have provoked criticism that they could disproportionately exclude poor, migrant, elderly, homeless and nomadic people.
Those dropped are hunting for decades-old documents regarding themselves, their parents and even grandparents in some cases, while others seek to correct names altered by translation, spelling or data-entry errors.
Many have been asked to show that they or their parents figured on electoral rolls.
Protesters say more than 130 million voters, or a number larger than the population of Japan, have been dropped from draft rolls across 30 states and territories, an assertion disputed by the Election Commission.
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Led by its chief, Gyanesh Kumar, the Commission panel says its deletions largely cover the dead, or those who moved, registered more than once or are otherwise ineligible.
Critics say the effort shifts to citizens the burden of proving they belong on the rolls, and warn that mismatched records could complicate efforts to establish citizenship or receive state welfare benefits.
WHY IS PRESSURE MOUNTING ON THE ELECTION COMMISSION?
Pressure grew after the Indian Express newspaper reported that two of Kumar’s panel colleagues had raised at least 14 formal objections over 10 months concerning voter rolls, registration procedures and digital systems.
Differing views are a part of normal deliberations, the panel says. But opposition parties led by Congress and youth groups have protested, calling for Kumar to step down.
WERE EASTERN STATE ELECTIONS A FLASHPOINT?
This year’s elections in the state of West Bengal, swept by Modi’s BJP in its first such victory there, became a major political issue after millions of voters were excluded or subjected to review, excluding them from voting.
Opposition parties said eligible voters were disenfranchised, which disproportionately affected Muslim voters, benefiting the BJP. The party and the poll body denied the accusations.
WHAT DID THE SUPREME COURT SAY?
In May, the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission’s SIR exercise, saying accurate electoral rolls were essential for free and fair elections, but ruled that the poll panel could not make a final determination on citizenship.
Opposition parties returned to court this week, citing arbitrary voter deletions and other irregularities, while the Election Commission on October 1 directed officials to identify omitted voters and ease the path to re-enrolment.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE STATE ELECTIONS?
The revision comes ahead of a series of important state elections beginning in early 2027, including in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, ruled by the BJP. It is unclear if people left off the electoral rolls will be put back in time to vote.
In Bihar, several people are still appealing for their names to be put back on the electoral roll more than one year later.
WHAT IS THE POLITICAL RISK FOR MODI?
The “cockroach” youth movement, which has mobilised protests in recent months against a range of issues from government school infrastructure to jobs for young people, is one of the biggest political challenges to Modi and the BJP in his 12 years in power.
The movement forced the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July over an exam leak scandal. The group continues to put pressure on Modi’s government for economic and social reforms. The group’s success has also inspired opposition parties to join forces.