Electoral Process Must Be Protected Or Democracy Will Be At Risk, Says Mehbooba Mufti

People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti warned on Wednesday that India could resemble a "banana republic" if the electoral process continued to be undermined. Her remarks came in response to reports that two Election Commissioners had repeatedly objected to decisions of the poll panel, raising concerns over electoral roll-related decisions.

Mufti said India and Pakistan appeared to be competing over "who can harm their own country the most". She alleged that if deletion and addition of names on electoral rolls continued, the country's democratic fundamentals would be compromised. Mufti noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described India as the "mother of democracy" abroad, but questioned whether the electoral process was being subverted at home.

The PDP chief's statement underscores growing political concerns about the integrity of electoral rolls and how the electoral process is being managed in the country.