Pramila Jayapal raises alarm over 13 crore voter roll deletions in India

Pramila Jayapal raised concern over reported mass voter roll deletions in India. Her support for non-violent protests has brought international attention to voting rights.Image used for representational purposes onlyWashington,Oct 15, 2026 00:56 ISTIndian-origin US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal on Wednesday expressed concern over reports that 13 crore names had been removed from draft electoral rolls in India.Jayapal supported non-violent protests against what she described as "anti-democratic efforts" and said people in India, like those in the US, deserved free and fair elections."I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls," Jayapal said in a post on X. These were the first such comments on the issue by a US lawmaker.The Democratic Congresswoman from Washington state said the developments in India appeared to follow a playbook similar to what the Trump administration was doing in the US to undermine voting rights. She said protecting democracies everywhere was essential. "Non-violent resistance movements are essential in these moments, and I stand with the Indian people who are engaging in non-violent protests to counter anti-democratic efforts in India," Jayapal said.According to statistics shared by the Election Commission of India, around 7.2 crore names were deleted from the draft rolls during the first and second phases of the SIR process, which covered 13 states and Union Territories. In the ongoing third phase, draft lists have been published for 18 states and Union Territories, with 6.16 crore voter names deleted.The Election Commission has said that genuine voters whose names were inadvertently left out during the SIR process can seek inclusion through the claims and objections process and subsequently through Form 6. Jayapal's remarks centred on the reported deletions and support for non-violent protests over voting rights.With PTI Inputs- Ends