The revision is part of a verification exercise covering nearly one billion voters. Opposition parties allege that eligible voters have been excluded to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP. The Election Commission and BJP deny wrongdoing, while election officials say the revisions target duplicate, deceased and ineligible voters.
Reporters have accused authorities of a crackdown on journalists and press freedom during the youth protests. Police detained protesters, journalists, lawyers and opposition politicians over the weekend as security forces restricted access to protest sites. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were released on Sunday and pledged to continue demonstrations.