India’s top election body is facing mounting criticism over its sweeping revision of the rules around voter registration ahead of an important state election in Bihar, with activists and opposition groups raising alarm over the potential for large-scale disenfranchisement in one of the country’s poorest states.
The drive to verify the identity of all of the state’s 78 million voters, launched on 24 June ahead of elections later this year, involves strict documentation requirements, triggering concerns that it could lead to the exclusion of vulnerable groups, especially those unable to produce the extensive paperwork required to prove their citizenship.
