Mass Voter Deletions in India: Minorities in Bihar State Stripped of Voting Rights

Mass Voter Deletions in India: Minorities in Bihar State Stripped of Voting Rights
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In India’s eastern state of Bihar, nearly 6.8 million people—about 8 percent of the state’s total electorate—have been removed from the voter registry, according to a report by Foreign Policy magazine.

The large-scale deletions, carried out within just one month, have raised serious concerns that the move may have been targeted to reduce the participation of religious minorities, particularly Muslims, in upcoming elections.

Human rights activists say that most of the removals occurred in Muslim-majority neighborhoods, where many residents have lost not only their right to vote but also access to certain government benefits, due to difficulties in proving their identity or appealing the decision.

The issue has now reached India’s Supreme Court, which is reviewing allegations that the mass voter purge constitutes discrimination and disenfranchisement of minority communities.