Indian Muslims say they're being targeted as millions of voters deleted from rolls

Indian Muslims say they're being targeted as millions of voters deleted from rolls Asia / Pacific

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06:20

Issued on: 29/04/2026 - 14:39Modified: 29/04/2026 - 14:39

06:20 min Share From the show Reading time 1 min

Last year, the Election Commission of India launched a "Special Intensive Revision", or SIR, describing it as an exercise to eliminate duplicate or deceased voters. So far, 13 states and federally administered territories have completed the task, leading to the deletion of over 55 million voters from the electoral rolls. But this exercise has become a political flashpoint in West Bengal, where 9 million voters have been deleted ahead of a crucial state election.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, the BJP, is hoping to win that state election. Opposition leaders and former officials argue the scale and timing of deletions could undermine democratic fairness and tilt the election result.

The controversy has become one of the defining issues of the West Bengal election, exposing deeper fault lines in voter rights and the integrity of India's electoral system.

FRANCE 24's Navodita Kumari, Zubair Dar and Mohammad Sartaj Alam report.

By: Navodita KUMARI Advertising Related keywords

• India
• elections
• Narendra Modi