US lawmaker raises concern over removal of 13 crore names from India’s draft voter rolls
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Washington: Indian-origin US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has expressed concern over reports that around 13 crore names have been removed from draft electoral rolls in India during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, calling for free and fair elections and backing non-violent protests.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the Democratic lawmaker from Washington state said she was “deeply concerned” by what she described as the Indian government’s action to remove 130 million people from the voting rolls. Her remarks are the first by a US lawmaker on the issue.
Jayapal said the developments in India appeared to follow a pattern similar to measures she alleged were being taken by the Trump administration in the United States to undermine voting rights.
“Protecting democracies everywhere is essential work, and the Indian people — like the American people — deserve free and fair elections,” she said. The Congresswoman also extended support to those participating in non-violent protests against what she called anti-democratic efforts in India.
According to figures shared by the Election Commission of India, about 7.2 crore names were deleted from draft rolls during the first two phases of the SIR, which covered 13 states and Union Territories. In the ongoing third phase, covering 18 states and Union Territories, 6.16 crore names have been removed so far.
The Commission has said that genuine voters whose names were inadvertently left out during the revision process can seek their inclusion through the claims and objections process and subsequently through Form 6.