Voters Question Electoral Roll Deletions at INDIA Bloc Event Against CEC

Voters shared personal accounts of having their names removed from electoral rolls during a symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi.

Voter Accounts

The event took place on October 31, 2026, at the residence of Congress president Mallickarjun Kharge. Anita Jaiswal, a voter who moved from Kolkata to Delhi, stated she was asked to establish her citizenship despite voting in every election from 2012 to 2025. Another voter from Kolkata, Iftikar Ahmed, said he and his father had voted from the same Chowrangee constituency address for 20 years before receiving a notice seeking documents due to a mapping discrepancy.

Activist and Leader Statements

Nikhil Dey, founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, introduced Kanta Prasad, a voter who had mistakenly been declared dead during the exercise. RTI activist Anjali Bharadwaj claimed that the Election Commission of India stated no file existed recording the decision-making process behind the special intensive revision, citing Principal Secretary T.C. Kom. Swaraj Abhiyan chief Yogendra Yadav and AISA national president Neha Bora also criticized the exercise, alleging deliberate attempts to disenfranchise voters. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, while Mr. Kharge moved the motion.

Context

Electoral rolls are lists of registered voters maintained by election authorities to determine who is eligible to vote in an election. Special revision exercises are periodically conducted to update these lists by adding new voters and removing names of those who have shifted or are no longer eligible. Public forums and hearings are occasionally used by political alliances and civil society groups to raise grievances regarding administrative processes.