Kamta Prasad has spent weeks shuttling between government offices in New Delhi trying to prove a vital fact: he is not dead. The 53-year-old tailor is among approximately 130 million people whose names have been removed from India’s electoral rolls during a sweeping voter roll revision. The process has sparked mass protests and presented a severe challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The Special Intensive Revision has resulted in massive deletions for reasons ranging from logical discrepancies to voters being incorrectly recorded as deceased. For Prasad, the error has meant giving up his daily wage of 250 rupees, equivalent to about $2.63, which supports his family of four, to navigate government bureaus in an effort to reverse the mistake.
Prasad discovered his status after draft rolls published by the poll body on August 31 revealed that 4.2 million Delhi voters had been struck off the list. “I panicked when I heard about it,” said Prasad. “Since then I’ve been going everywhere to prove that I’m alive.” According to Rajendra Kumar, a volunteer with the non-profit group Jan Sarokar, approximately 2,000 of the roughly 9,000 voters in Prasad’s block were removed following the revision, having been classified as absent, shifted, deceased, or registered elsewhere. While Prasad is the sole person in his specific block declared dead, local media have reported numerous similar cases across the country.
The widespread deletions have triggered a political storm, with opposition parties and youth groups organizing near-daily demonstrations in New Delhi and other regions. These protests have frequently encountered police force. Critics and opposition groups allege that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar manipulated the revision process to benefit Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Both the Election Commission and the BJP have firmly denied these allegations.
The Election Commission maintains that the revision is intended to remove duplicate, deceased, shifted, and otherwise ineligible voters, and states that individuals excluded in error can file claims, submit supporting documents, and pursue appeals before the rolls are finalized. However, for affected citizens, the correction process involves navigating a complex bureaucratic maze. Depending on their specific situation, voters may be required to provide proof of life, establish residency, correct alleged discrepancies, or submit fresh documentation. This often entails repeated visits to election offices, formal hearings before electoral officials, and multiple rounds of appeals that can span weeks or months.
“I told them I voted in the last assembly and general elections and have been voting for 35 years, but nobody listens,” Prasad said. Following weeks of protests, the Election Commission ordered fresh verification in several states, including Delhi, and Prasad noted that officials have recently assured him his name will be restored.
Other residents have faced different hurdles under the same revision. Kamal Lal, a 38-year-old private school teacher in Delhi, found himself marked as “shifted” despite continuing to live in a settlement beneath a flyover alongside dozens of other families. “It is very disappointing that we have been voting in this country and now our names have been cut because we do not have land papers or a water bill,” Lal said. Learning of his exclusion in September, he has since approached election officials, attended hearings, and filed multiple reinstatement applications.
For some voters, the remedies suggested by local officials offer little reassurance. Instead of restoring previous registrations, certain citizens have been advised to apply afresh as new voters. This alternative causes deep concern among poorer families who fear losing continuity in their civic participation and government support. Mamta, a 39-year-old resident who goes by one name, explained that her husband strongly opposes registering anew because he has consistently voted in past elections. “I am worried that if our names are not restored to the list, I could lose access to subsidised ration and other government welfare schemes,” she said. India’s Election Commission did not respond to requests for comment regarding the ongoing disputes.
