Election Commission's voter roll cleanup sparks fierce clash between Congress and BJP

The Election Commission of India disclosed a set of actions aimed at correcting voter-list anomalies after internal objections by two commissioners over the past ten months. The announcements included the removal of more than one crore duplicate entries and 2.8 crore deceased voters across 31 states and union territories, as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The BJP praised the cleanup, arguing that those who benefited from "dirty rolls" are now complaining, while Congress slammed the measures as fragmented and inadequate, citing the risk of disenfranchising 5.43 crore voters.

Congress leaders also criticized the EC's reliance on the ECINet software and its limited transparency regarding AI use. Youth Congress members protested outside the EC office, demanding accountability. The EC responded by directing booth-level officers to conduct home visits and setting up help desks for vulnerable populations, while proposing a committee to certify the software's compliance with legal standards.