Kamta Prasad, a 53-year-old tailor from Delhi, has been caught in a bureaucratic struggle after being mistakenly removed from India’s electoral rolls during a nationwide voter list revision. Prasad was among 130 million names eliminated under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which aimed to update the voter registry ahead of upcoming elections but has sparked widespread controversy and protests.
According to draft voter rolls released on August 31, Prasad was incorrectly declared dead. He is one of approximately 4.2 million voters from Delhi who were dropped from the list for reasons including being classified as deceased, shifted residences, or due to “logical discrepancies.” The exclusion has left many individuals, including Prasad, facing complex procedures to restore their voting rights. He has had to forgo his daily wage to navigate government offices in an effort to prove he is alive and eligible to vote.
The removals have provoked a political backlash, with opposition parties and youth organizations staging near-daily protests in the capital and other parts of the country. Police have responded with force to some demonstrations. Critics accuse the Election Commission, led by Chief Gyanesh Kumar, of manipulating the revision to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both the commission and the BJP have denied these allegations.
Local activists indicate that the problem is widespread. Rajendra Kumar, a volunteer with the organization Jan Sarokar, said that in Prasad’s residential block alone, about 2,000 out of roughly 9,000 voters were removed, with various reasons cited. Prasad, however, remains the only person in his area erroneously listed as deceased.
The Election Commission has maintained that the revision aims to remove duplicates, ineligible voters, and deceased individuals, emphasizing that those removed in error may appeal and provide documentation to reinstate their names. However, affected individuals describe a cumbersome process involving multiple office visits, hearings, and appeals, sometimes lasting weeks or months.
Kamal Lal, a 38-year-old teacher in Delhi, was marked as “shifted” despite residing at the same address. He has repeatedly approached election officials without success. Other voters have been advised to register anew rather than reinstate former registrations, a solution that has raised concerns among poorer communities. Mamta, a 39-year-old woman, expressed anxiety about losing access to government welfare programs if her name is not restored.
In response to mounting protests, the commission ordered fresh verification exercises in some states, including Delhi. Meanwhile, authorities recently released two youth leaders from the opposition Cockroach Janta Party movement, who had been detained amid security crackdowns on demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Kumar.
The election oversight body has denied any wrongdoing in the revision process, underscoring its commitment to maintaining accurate voter rolls in the world’s largest democracy. The controversy, however, remains a significant challenge for the government as it prepares for upcoming elections.