India's External Affairs Ministry rejects US Congresswoman Jayapal's remarks on voter roll revision
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called Pramila Jayapal's criticism of the SIR 'unwarranted and uninformed' on 16 October; she had cited the removal of 130 million names from rolls.
India’s External Affairs Ministry (MEA) on Friday, 16 October 2026, rejected criticism of the revision of the country’s electoral rolls by US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, calling her remarks “unwarranted and uninformed”. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was responding to a question at the ministry’s regular media briefing, Hindustan Times reported.
What was said
Ms Jayapal, an Indian-origin Democratic member of the US House of Representatives, said on social media on Thursday that she was “deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls”. Deccan Herald, carrying a PTI report, described the figure as 13 crore names. Hindustan Times reported that she also said she stood with “the Indian people who are engaging in non-violent protests to counter anti-democratic efforts in India”.
Mr Jaiswal said: “We find the remarks of the Congresswoman unwarranted and uninformed and tantamount to interfering in the electoral practices of a fellow democracy.” He added: “This is an approach that undermines democracy itself.”
Deccan Herald reported that India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, separately called her remarks “unacceptable interference in India’s internal affairs” in a post on X. Neither outlet reported a response from Ms Jayapal to the Indian statements.
Context
The remarks come amid protests in India by young people and opposition parties over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which Hindustan Times reports has led to millions of names being struck off. According to our earlier coverage, the Supreme Court upheld the SIR on 27 May 2026; see our report on the INDIA bloc’s petition. The 130 million figure is Ms Jayapal’s; the reports reviewed here did not independently verify it, and it is not an official count. Earlier developments in the protests are covered in our report on the detentions of CJP supporters.
What happens next
No further diplomatic step had been announced in the reports reviewed. Both outlets reported the exchange on 16 October.
Perspectives
Listed in no particular order and given equal space. Inclusion is not endorsement.
Ms Jayapal said
- That she was ‘deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls’, which she said appeared to be ‘a similar playbook’ to what the Trump administration is doing in the US ’to undermine voting rights in a democracy’.
- That ’the Indian people — like the American people — deserve free and fair elections’, and that she stood with people engaged in non-violent protests against what she called anti-democratic efforts in India.
The Indian government said
- That the remarks were ‘unwarranted and uninformed and tantamount to interfering in the electoral practices of a fellow democracy’, and that this was ‘an approach that undermines democracy itself’ (Mr Jaiswal, at the MEA briefing).
- That India is ‘a vibrant democracy, with robust, independent constitutional institutions and a longstanding record of free and fair elections’, and is ‘always open to constructive conversation with the Congresswoman to dispel her misconceptions’ (Mr Kwatra, on X, as reproduced by Deccan Herald).
