US Lawmaker Came Out In Support Of CJP, Indian Ambassador Objects

New Delhi: India on Thursday termed as "unacceptable" the remarks by US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, in which she questioned the Election Commission's amendments to the voter list. India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, in a post on X, said Jayapal's comments on India's electoral and political processes were an unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs.

Pramila Jayapal expressed concern over the omission of 130 million voters from India's draft voter list. Vinay Mohan Kwatra said India is a vibrant democracy with strong and independent constitutional institutions and a long history of conducting free and fair elections.

Ready to clear up misconceptions of Congress member

The Indian ambassador said he was always ready to engage in constructive dialogue with the congresswoman to address her misconceptions. The Democratic Congresswoman from Washington state also said she supports nonviolent protests against "anti-democratic efforts" in India.

Congress MP Pramila Jayapal's allegation?

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said that what is happening in India is similar to what the Trump administration is doing in the United States to undermine voting rights within a democracy. She said that protecting democracy everywhere is a vital task, and that the people of India – just like the people of the United States – have the right to free and fair elections. Pramila Jayapal said that non-violent protests are essential in times like these. "I stand with the Indian people who are protesting non-violently against these anti-democratic efforts in India," she said.

SIR in 13 states and union territories

According to Election Commission of India data, when SIR (the process of streamlining voter lists) was carried out in 13 states and union territories, approximately 72 million names were removed from the draft voter lists in the first and second phases. In the ongoing third phase, in which draft voter lists for 18 states and union territories have been released, the number of voters removed stands at 61.6 million.

Name can be added to voter list

The Election Commission states that the purpose of this process is to update voter lists to remove the names of those who are deceased, registered multiple times, have moved, or are otherwise ineligible. The Commission states that if a genuine voter's name is inadvertently omitted during the SIR process, they can have their name re-included in the voter list by filing 'claims and objections', or by filling 'Form 6'.