If Millions of Indians Can’t Vote Now, Why Were They on the Rolls Before?
India’s Election Commission (EC) has deleted over 1.2 million names from electoral rolls in just two districts of Uttar Pradesh as part of its “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) exercise. Some deletions may involve Absent, Shifted or Deceased cases, but such entries cannot explain the removal of over a quarter of the electorate. One is, therefore, left to ask whether the Commission has any explanation beyond the two clear possibilities, that these voters were either wrongly included in the past or are wrongly excluded now. Both reflect poorly on the institution.
What’s Wrong When Parties Win an Election Before Voting Even Begins in Maharashtra
The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra has reportedly secured 68 of 69 municipal corporation seats without a vote being cast, as rival candidates withdrew en masse before polling. The development warrants serious concern, as one is left to ask whether intimidation, coercion, or inducement may have effectively replaced voter choice in these constituencies. It also raises the possibility of behind-the-scenes arrangements between contesting parties to prevent electoral competition. Either scenario undermines the central democratic principle of competitive elections.
‘We Will Come Looking for You,’ Rahul Gandhi Tells ECI
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused India’s top election officials of collaborating in “vote theft” and warned that a future government would change the law to hold them accountable. Speaking in Parliament, he said, “We will change the law retrospectively, and we will come looking for you.”