NEW DELHI — Protests spread across India last week as opposition parties and civil society groups demand the resignation of the country’s election chief over alleged manipulation of voter rolls.
The campaign was led in part by the Indian youth movement “Cockroach”, which had previously organized street protests that forced the education minister to resign in July.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the ongoing revision of electoral rolls by the election body. They accuse the overhaul of disenfranchising millions of voters and benefiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP. The commission and the government deny any wrongdoing.
Here’s what you need to know:
Changes to the electoral list
India is the world’s largest democracy, with hundreds of millions of people voting in state and national elections. The Electoral Commission plays a central role in determining voter eligibility and administering elections, making politically significant changes to the electoral rolls.
FOR SUBSCRIBERS
What’s behind the Gen Z ‘cockroach’ movement in India
01:37
The dispute concerns a nationwide revision of the electoral roll known as the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR. This process began last year in the eastern state of Bihar ahead of local elections and has since spread to most states and territories administered by India’s federal government.
As part of this process, voters are required to provide documentation proving they are eligible to remain on the rolls.
The Electoral Commission says the exercise is necessary to remove duplicate and ineligible registrations and ensure that legitimate voters remain registered. Critics say this could exclude legitimate voters, particularly poorer and more vulnerable communities.
They also say the requirements are confusing and difficult for many people to complete, especially those who don’t have government records or other older documents.
Could benefit Modi’s party
The Election Commission of India is an independent constitutional body that oversees elections and maintains voter rolls, but opposition parties accuse the commission of favoring Modi’s party. They say the changes could eliminate people most likely to support opposition parties while preserving or adding pro-BJP voters.
The BJP and the Election Commission reject the allegations and say the revision has no political motive. Modi’s party says the list is being updated to weed out what they call “infiltrators.”
The issue came to the fore during the crucial elections in West Bengal earlier this year, after a revision of the electoral roll removed about 9 million names, or about 12% of the electorate. The suppressions prevented millions of eligible voters from casting ballots. Modi’s party won the state for the first time.
The impact of politics
Indian law requires a majority vote of commission members to adopt changes, making disagreements among its members potentially significant.
The Indian Express newspaper reported in September that two of the three election commissioners had formally objected to several decisions regarding the revision of electoral rolls, registration procedures and the commission’s digital systems.
The newspaper reported that Kumar, the election chief, rejected these objections.
The Electoral Commission said the report reflected “diverging views and deliberations” rather than formal written objections.
Changes could reshape elections
The Cockroach movement, opposition parties and civil society groups have called for Kumar’s resignation or removal and an investigation into his conduct, including possible criminal prosecution. They want the current revision to be stopped and the previous electoral lists to be used for future elections.
They also demand a more independent and transparent process for appointing electoral commissioners.
Data from the Electoral Commission indicates that voter rolls in some areas could shrink by up to 30%, fueling concerns among opposition parties and protest groups over possible exclusions.
The conflict is likely to intensify as changes resulting from the overhaul spread across India, which faces a series of national elections early next year.
Gn world
