India’s election commission is facing mounting pressure after a newspaper investigation alleged misconduct during a nationwide voter-roll revision.
The Indian Express alleged last month that key decisions linked to the large-scale revision exercise — which has seen millions of names removed from draft voter rolls — were likely taken without the approval of two of the three election commissioners.
The Election Commission of India (ECI), a constitutional body, has rejected the allegations. It says all its decisions were unanimous and legally valid.
Opposition parties say legitimate voters are being struck off to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
Protests demanding that commission chief Gyanesh Kumar step down have grown since the report, with a demonstration in the capital New Delhi on Saturday expected to draw large crowds.
The allegations are a fresh challenge for 76-year-old Modi, in his third term in office, following student protests in July that forced the education minister to resign.
Here is a rundown of the major issues at stake in the latest protest:
What’s the controversy?
The Indian Express reported that the poll body has been riven by internal disagreements since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter lists began in 2025.
It said two of the ECI’s three commissioners formally lodged objections more than a dozen times in the last 10 months over key SIR decisions.
Decisions by the three-member poll body should be taken by consensus or a majority.
Why has it sparked anger?
The poll body says the exercise identifies fraudulently registered voters and aims to prevent “foreign illegal immigrants” from casting ballots.
Critics say the drive has disproportionately affected marginalised and minority communities.
Members of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have long alleged that large numbers of undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently entered India’s electoral rolls.
How many are excluded?
According to election commission data cited by Indian media, more than 133 million names have been excluded from draft rolls.
That’s roughly the population of Mexico and, in the world’s most populous nation, adds up to about 15% of the electorate.
The exclusions include duplicate entries and people found to have died.
The final count of excluded voters, however, will only be clear after claims and objections are processed and final rolls are published.
How big are the protests?
Thousands have taken to the streets in protest, and the youth-led online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement launched fresh demonstrations on October 2 in Mumbai.
The opposition Congress Party has rallied in New Delhi, with key leader Rahul Gandhi briefly detained on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The CJP, which has millions of followers on social media, succeeded in its campaign to oust the education minister in July over irregularities in exam systems.
The movement has called for another “mass mobilisation” on Saturday, supported by student groups aligned with left-wing parties.
“Last time when we got together, it was a cabinet minister who had to resign,” said Neha Bora, a student leader who has emerged as one of the faces of the latest protests.
“This time, we will see the CEC (chief election commissioner) being ousted.”
Who is Kumar?
Kumar, 62, is a retired civil servant from the elite Indian Administrative Service.
He took charge as election commission chief in February last year and is due to remain in office until January 2029.
Kumar’s civil services journey began in the southern state of Kerala, whose government launched a probe this month into corruption allegations involving him dating back to 2006.
What do the courts say?
The Supreme Court has ordered the government and election body to explain decisions linked to the voter-roll revision.
The legality of the revision exercise has also been examined by the court.
In May, it allowed the election commission to proceed with the nationwide exercise, while calling for safeguards to protect eligible voters.
Another hearing is due next week.
2026-10-08 16:10:00
