Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) voiced concern over reports of the removal of 13 crore voter names from the draft electoral rolls in India. The Indian-origin U.S.
I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls. This appears to be a similar playbook to what the Trump Administration is doing here at home to undermine voting rights in a democracy. Ms.
“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, marking the first such comments by a US lawmaker on the issue. Jayapal said the developments in India appear to be a similar playbook to what the Trump Administration is doing in the U.S. to undermine voting rights in a democracy.
Around 7.2 crore names were deleted from the draft rolls in the first and second phases when the SIR was held in 13 States and union territories, according to statistics shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI). During the ongoing third phase, where draft lists of 18 States and Union Territories are published, the number of deleted voters stands at 6.16 crore.
