India Election Commission reviews voter-roll software — SkimNews
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- India's Election Commission ordered a review of its voter-roll software on Saturday after the Indian Express reported internal disputes over changes to voter lists that excluded millions.
- Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was questioned by two deputies at least 14 times in 10 months, mostly about the voter-list update process that began last year, per the Indian Express.
- Opposition parties accused the Commission of manipulating lists to benefit PM Modi's BJP; the Commission said internal differences are normal and all actions were lawful.
- The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) joined opposition demands for Kumar's resignation and threatened nationwide protests on October 2 if he didn't quit by Saturday.
- The Commission announced a committee led by a senior election official and an independent technology expert would examine whether the software complied with election laws and rules.
- Local officials will now visit voters flagged for discrepancies instead of routinely requiring them to appear at government offices, the Commission said.
Why it matters: With opposition parties and a youth-led movement demanding the Chief Election Commissioner's removal and threatening nationwide protests by October 2, the integrity of India's voter-roll update process has become a live political flashpoint. The Commission's concession to send local officials directly to flagged voters shows it is scrambling to defuse a dispute over millions of excluded names ahead of upcoming elections.
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