Now Reading: Indian democracy at 80: press freedom 157th, 1.5 crore voters removed
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Indian democracy at 80: press freedom 157th, 1.5 crore voters removed
On its 80th Independence Day, India ranks 157th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down from previous years. The past year also saw the deletion of 1.5…
The Story in Brief
On its 80th Independence Day, India ranks 157th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down from previous years. The past year also saw the deletion of 1.5 crore names from voter rolls and Assembly election results that broke long-standing political patterns. Frontline's package examines four pillars of democracy: free press, right to protest, social tolerance, and credible elections. The dossier aims to assess where Indian democracy stands and what is at stake for the next generation.
The Indian Opinion
The usual narratives swing between declaring India a democracy in peril and a resilient one. Both miss the point. A low press freedom rank and large-scale voter deletions are not rhetorical; they are measurable. But elections still deliver surprises, as recent Assembly results showed. The real test will be whether the Election Commission publishes a full, audited explanation of those 1.5 crore deletions before the next general election. That number, not slogans, will settle the argument.
Source: frontline.thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
