Pramila Jayapal says India is purging 130 million names from voter rolls

Pramila Jayapal publicly voiced concern that the Indian government is removing 130 million people from the country’s voter rolls, saying on X she is “deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls.” Her comment, carried in multiple .S. lawmaker on the issue, the reports note.

Indian authorities conducting the nationwide Synchronized Integrated Revision (SIR) process have published statistics showing that roughly 7.2 crore names were deleted from draft electoral rolls during the first two phases, which covered 13 states and union territories.

The deletion figure reported in the Election Commission documents applies to the draft lists compiled during those SIR phases; the commission has emphasised that those whose names were left out inadvertently can use the claims and objections mechanism and file Form 6 to be included.

Media outlets covering Jayapal’s post and the commission data echoed each other on the principal figures: Jayapal framed the action as a purge of 130 million people, while the Election Commission provided the lower, process-specific number of about 7.2 crore deletions tied to the SIR phases.

Jayapal’s statement was posted on X and was described in the reports as the first U.S. congressional comment on the reported removals; the outlets did not cite any additional U.S. government statements or actions.

The reporting does not include independent verification of whether the 130 million figure equals finalized, permanent removals from the electoral rolls or whether it overlaps with routine deletions from draft rolls and subsequent inclusion via claims.

The Election Commission’s guidance on claims and Form 6 was reported in the same articles, which say the commission allows voters to seek restoration if they were omitted during SIR.

Beyond Jayapal’s post and the commission statistics about deletions during the SIR phases, the stories in this package do not provide further detail on the demographic or geographic breakdown of the names removed, any legal challenges to the deletions, or responses from Indian government officials; they also do not specify how the 130 million figure was calculated or whether it reflects draft deletions, finalized removals, duplicates across phases, or a broader dataset.

The coverage thus presents two documented strands: a U.S. lawmaker’s public alarm about a 130 million-person purge, and the Election Commission’s reported 7.2 crore deletions tied to the first two phases of SIR with an administrative remedy for omitted voters via claims and Form 6.