Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Calls Grow to Reform India’s Election Commission After Voter Exclusions
The Election Commission of India organizes elections and keeps the voter list.
The article says a computer system may have wrongly removed many people from that list.
It says as many as 130 million exclusions were recorded, although the exact number of wrongful exclusions is uncertain.
The article also describes disagreements among the three election commissioners.
Two commissioners reportedly sought help from the Cabinet secretary.
The author argues that the Commission needs more independence from the Union government.
One proposal is to have a parliamentary committee help choose election commissioners.
Another proposal is to give the Commission funding directly from the Consolidated Fund of India.
The author also suggests checking excluded voters in person and apologizing to those wrongly removed.
The Election Commission of India oversees voter rolls, elections and political-party registration under Article 324.
The article says flawed screening technology may have wrongly excluded some of 130 million voters, with a high false-positive rate in decided appeals.
It raises concerns about internal distrust after two election commissioners reportedly approached the Cabinet secretary rather than the President.
The current appointment process gives the Union government significant influence, while Parliament has a role in removing commissioners.
Proposed reforms include a joint parliamentary appointments committee, independent funding and broader professional staffing for election bodies.
- Who
- The Election Commission of India, its three commissioners, government officials and affected voters.
- What
- The article examines alleged internal dysfunction, disputed voter-list screening and possible reforms to the Election Commission.
- When
- The article cites an Election Commission press note dated September 26 and a private member’s bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2023; no publication date is provided.
- Where
- India, including the Union and state election systems.
- Why
- The author argues that questionable appointments, limited transparency, internal distrust and flawed algorithmic screening could weaken election administration and disenfranchise voters.
- Constitutional basis
- Article 324 establishes the Election Commission’s role.
- Core functions
- Maintaining voter rolls, managing elections and registering political parties.
- Commission structure
- A chief election commissioner and two election commissioners.
- Reported exclusions
- The article refers to 130 million voters excluded by screening technology.
- Potential compensation estimate
- Using the article’s assumptions, possible liability is estimated at Rs 3,770 crore.
- Appointment process
- The President appoints commissioners on the advice of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, another Union minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
- Main reform proposal
- Create an empowered joint parliamentary committee for election appointments and house the Commission within Parliament.