Speakers at an APCR seminar claim that deletions from voter lists, lack of transparency, and misuse of electoral mechanisms are eroding democratic institutions
BENGALURU — Voter deletions, lack of transparency, and misuse of electoral mechanisms are increasingly undermining democratic institutions, speakers at a seminar organised by the Karnataka chapter of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) said here on Sunday.
The seminar titled “Delimitation, Women’s Reservation Bill and Special Intensive Revision (SIR)” focused on the implications of the proposed delimitation exercise, the Women’s Reservation Bill, and the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.
Senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan said India’s democratic framework was facing a serious crisis. He alleged that institutions such as the Election Commission and the electoral roll management system had become “highly suspect” and called for a broad-based people’s movement to defend constitutional values.
Referring to the SIR process, Bhushan alleged that large-scale voter deletions had taken place in West Bengal, claiming that nearly 91 lakh names were removed from electoral rolls. He also criticised “a lack of transparency in the Election Commission’s functioning”, citing notices reportedly issued to lakhs of voters seeking proof of eligibility.
On the Women’s Reservation Bill and delimitation, he criticised the Union government for linking the implementation of women’s reservation to a future delimitation exercise. He argued that such a move could potentially reduce parliamentary representation from southern states while increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats.
Advocate Sudhir Kumar Murolli stressed the need for public vigilance and collective action to safeguard voting rights. He urged judicial intervention in constituencies where victory margins were lower than the number of allegedly deleted votes and advised citizens to verify their names with booth-level officers and district authorities. He said public trust in elections could only be restored through “clean and fair electoral practices.”
Farmer activist Veerasangayya said farmers, labourers, Dalits, and minorities are particularly vulnerable to voter deletions due to minor documentation errors. He noted that several farmer organisations and labour unions had discussed the implications of the SIR process on marginalised communities and called for united public action to protect democratic participation.
Activist Tanveer Ahmed questioned the functioning of the current electoral system and called for broader political and social unity to counter the “weakening of democratic institutions”.
Ramegowda, who was once associated with RSS, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using state agencies and electoral processes to influence election outcomes. He alleged that voter deletions were concentrated in areas where the party expected weaker support and raised concerns about transparency in the electoral system.
The programme concluded with an appeal to citizens—particularly youth, farmers, labourers, and minorities—to remain vigilant about their electoral rights and actively participate in the democratic processes.
