India’s Election Commission ordered a software review after The Indian Express reported that two commissioners raised concerns about list updates with its chief Gyanesh Kumar at least 14 times in 10 months; the paper said voter-list changes excluded millions of voters.
The commission said a committee led by a senior election official and including an independent technology expert will examine whether the software complies with election laws and rules. It also said local officials would visit voters flagged for discrepancies instead of routinely requiring them to appear at government offices.
Opposition parties have alleged the voter lists were manipulated to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party; the commission says differences are normal in any institution and all its actions were lawful. Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party demanded Kumar’s resignation. CJP said it would launch nationwide protests on October 2 if he did not quit by Saturday.
