New Protests Against Modi Have Broken Out In India

• 6.10.2026, 13:54

130 million people were stripped of their right to vote.

In India, voter rolls have undergone a large-scale review, resulting in the removal of more than 130 million people from the rolls. Against this backdrop, protests are resuming across the country, and the opposition accuses the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to deprive disfavored groups of their right to vote, reports The New York Times.

The verification process is officially being conducted to remove duplicate and erroneous entries. However, tens of millions of voters have been flagged by algorithms due to discrepancies in their documents. Some people whom the system has identified as deceased are trying to prove that they are alive.

Of particular concern is the situation of Muslims, of whom there are about 200 million in India. Critics argue that they are disproportionately excluded from the voter rolls.

“The heart of our democracy—the right to vote—is under serious threat,” said former Indian Supreme Court Justice Rohinton Nariman.

In one state, nearly 9 million people were removed from the voter rolls ahead of the election in which Modi’s party won a majority for the first time. Moreover, in dozens of constituencies, the number of voters removed exceeded the margin of victory between the winner and his opponent.

Former Election Commission member Ashok Lavasa believes that the authorities’ approach has fundamentally changed. Previously, the state itself verified the voter rolls and sought to include all citizens on them. Now, people have to prove their right to vote on their own.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Election Commission Chairman Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition believes that the commission’s actions could permanently alter the balance of power in the world’s largest democracy.