India's election commission orders review of voter-roll changes

Opposition parties say ​the lists have been manipulated to benefit ​Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP

The Election Commission of India ordered a review of its voter-roll software on ​Saturday after a newspaper reported that its chief ‌had been questioned by his deputies over changes to voter lists that excluded millions of voters.

Opposition parties have said ​the lists have been manipulated to benefit ​Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The ⁠Election Commission of India has said differences are ​normal in any institution, and that all its ​actions were lawful.

The Indian Express newspaper reported this week that two election commissioners had raised questions or expressed concerns to ​Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at least 14 ​times in 10 months, mostly about the process of updating voters' lists that began last year.

Opposition parties and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have demanded Kumar's resignation. The CJP said it would launch nationwide protests on ​October 2 ​if he did ⁠not quit by Saturday.

The commission said on Saturday that a committee led ​by a senior election official and including ​an ⁠independent technology expert would examine whether the software complied with election laws and rules.

It also said local officials would ​visit voters flagged for discrepancies, ​rather than routinely requiring them to appear at government offices.