India Orders Review of Voter-Roll Software — SkimNews
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- Election Commission of India ordered a review of its voter-roll software on Sept 26 after the Indian Express reported chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was questioned by his deputies at least 14 times in 10 months.
- The Indian Express reported that two election commissioners raised concerns to Kumar, mostly tied to a voter list update process that began in 2025 and excluded millions of voters.
- Opposition parties alleged the lists were manipulated to benefit PM Modi's BJP and joined the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in demanding Kumar's resignation.
- The CJP set a Sept 26 deadline for Kumar to quit and threatened nationwide protests on Oct 2 if he did not resign.
- The Election Commission said differences among officials are normal and all actions were lawful, while announcing a committee led by a senior official and an independent technology expert to examine whether the software complied with election laws.
- The Commission also said local officials would visit voters flagged for discrepancies instead of routinely requiring them to appear at government offices.
Why it matters: The EC's formal review comes after the Indian Express documented 14 internal challenges to Kumar in 10 months — directly addressing opposition allegations that voter rolls were altered to favor Modi's BJP. By launching a committee on Sept 26, the exact deadline the CJP set for Kumar's resignation, the commission defuses the protest threat without removing him, leaving opposition demands unaddressed.
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