By Arpan Chaturvedi
NEW DELHI, Sept 28 (Reuters) – India’s drive to verify the eligibility of roughly a billion voters has put the Election Commission of India (ECI) under severe public scrutiny, with opposition parties alleging the manipulation of voter rolls and exclusion of millions.
A report published last week by the Indian Express newspaper alleged there were internal divisions within the poll body over the lists and registration procedures, stoking further concerns about its neutrality.
Last Friday saw nationwide protests by the opposition Congress party demanding the resignation of the head of the ECI, Gyanesh Kumar. The “cockroach” youth movement, with millions of supporters, has also said it would launch protests across India on October 2 if Kumar does not resign.
Here’s an explainer on the ongoing controversy.
VERIFYING A BILLION VOTERS: THE CONTROVERSY
India started verification of its voter rolls last year ahead of elections in the eastern state of Bihar. 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.
Opposition parties including Congress have accused Kumar of bias and alleged that the process benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The poll body and the BJP denied such claims.
The Indian Express story said two top election commissioners had expressed concerns to Kumar at least 14 times in 10 months but those concerns were not taken into consideration. The ECI said all its decisions were lawful and differing views within the commission were not unusual.
The report has prompted some opposition leaders and members of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which in July forced the education minister to quit after weeks of protest, to plan nationwide demonstrations in the coming days demanding Kumar’s resignation.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Local media has reported that the verification drive has resulted in about 130 million people being excluded from the first draft list, and are being required to prove their credentials before being enrolled.
ECI data showed that about 6.5 million voters were excluded from the draft rolls during Bihar’s revision exercise last year.
India’s Supreme Court has also raised concerns, saying notices to prove eligibility sent to some voters appeared to have been “machine generated” without human intervention, local media reported.
WHAT HAPPENS TO VOTERS EXPELLED FROM THE LIST?
The ECI 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 participate in future elections, excluded voters must succeed in their appeals or apply for fresh registration.
Opposition parties argue that arbitrary deletions and lengthy appeals prevented millions in Bihar and West Bengal from voting and could be used as a weapon in future elections.
KEY STATE ELECTIONS DUE
At least seven Indian states will hold elections next year, including Uttar Pradesh, considered a bellwether state in national politics. Verification in Uttar Pradesh began in October 2025 and saw 13% names being deleted, according to local media reports.
POLL BODY’S DEFENCE
The election commission has defended itself from allegations of political bias, including in a rare press conference by Kumar last year who asked the opposition to submit their allegations under oath.
On Saturday, the poll body announced revisions to the process including home visits by officials to collect verification documents and an extension of the deadline for final verification in some states.
(Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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