The Election Commission of India announced a review of its voter-roll software on Saturday following reports that its chief had been questioned multiple times by his deputies regarding modifications to voter lists that allegedly excluded millions of voters.
Opposition parties have accused the Commission of manipulating the voter lists to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meanwhile, the Election Commission maintained that internal disagreements are typical in any organization and affirmed that all its actions were within legal boundaries.
In a significant development, The Indian Express revealed that two election commissioners had raised concerns or questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at least 14 times over a period of 10 months, primarily related to the voter list update process initiated last year.
Notably, opposition groups and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have called for Kumar’s resignation. The CJP threatened to organize nationwide protests on October 2 if he did not step down by Saturday.
The Commission stated that a committee, headed by a senior election official and including an independent technology expert, would assess whether the software adheres to election laws and regulations. Additionally, it announced that local officials would conduct visits to voters flagged for discrepancies instead of routinely requiring them to appear at government offices.
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