'Unwarranted and uninformed': India rejects U.S. lawmaker's comments on revision of electoral rolls

India has dismissed U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal's criticism of the Indian government's revision of electoral rolls as unwarranted and uninformed. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that the remarks interfered in the electoral practices of a fellow democracy. Jayapal expressed concern over the removal of 13 crore voter names from the draft electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The ECI conducted the SIR exercise across 30 States and Union Territories since June 2025, and over 18 crore names were deleted. Jayapal's comments came amidst protests and scrutiny of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged poll irregularities. India's ambassador to the U.S., Vinay Mohan Kwatra, also dismissed Jayapal's remarks as unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs.