Election Commission of India faces protests over 130 million voter deletions

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is facing intense scrutiny following reports that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process resulted in the removal of over 130 million names from voter rolls across 30 states and union territories.

Investigations suggest that two of the three Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, repeatedly raised internal objections regarding the handling of the revision, including being kept in the dark about certain decisions. This has led to widespread political controversy and demands for the resignation or impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

In response, the opposition INDIA bloc, led by figures such as Rahul Gandhi, has intensified protests. Gandhi was recently detained during a demonstration in New Delhi. The Congress party has announced a month-long grassroots campaign involving village and district-level marches to identify improperly deleted voters and challenge the legitimacy of the current electoral process.