Why did India's first Chief Election Commissioner delete lakhs of women from voter rolls?

During preparations for India’s first general election in 1951-52, officials found that 28 lakh women in some states were listed only as someone’s wife or mother, as social customs discouraged them from speaking their own names to strangers. India's first Chief Election Commissioner, Sukumar Sen, insisted every voter be registered by her individual name and ordered removal of such entries.