US lawmaker Jayapal raises concern over ‘purge’ of 13 crore voters in India
Washington:: Indian-origin US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has voiced concern over reports that around 13 crore voters have been removed from electoral rolls in India during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in what are among the first such comments by a US lawmaker on the issue, Jayapal said in a post on X, “I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls.”
*Jayapal backs peaceful protests*
The Democratic Congresswoman said that “non-violent resistance movements are essential”, adding that she stood with Indians engaging in “non-violent protests to counter anti-democratic efforts in India”.
“Protecting democracies everywhere is essential work, and the Indian people – like the American people – deserve free and fair elections,” she said.
*Protesters demand CEC’s resignation*
Jayapal’s remarks came amid protests in New Delhi and other parts of India over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. On October 10, around 7,000 protesters in Delhi were reportedly detained and assaulted for taking part in the demonstrations.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its handling of the SIR exercise.
The trigger for the latest round of protests was a September 23 investigation by The Indian Express, which revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected 14 times in 10 months to decisions by the poll panel related to the special intensive revision, saying some had been taken without their knowledge.
*Concerns over voter exclusion*
Since the exercise began in June 2025, concerns have mounted that the revision could eliminate genuine voters from the electoral rolls and even shape election outcomes.
Overall, more than 13 crore names have reportedly been removed from voter lists and draft electoral rolls since the exercise began in Bihar in June 2025, raising serious questions about electoral transparency, voter rights and the integrity of the democratic process in India.
