The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has completed one year, with the exercise continuing in 19 states and Union Territories amid growing political controversy. The voter list cleanup, which began as a pilot in Bihar on June 24 last year, has so far led to the deletion of nearly six crore voters.
The exercise was launched ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections and later expanded across multiple states.
Bihar pilot led to deletion of 65 lakh voters
The first phase in Bihar resulted in the removal of nearly 65 lakh names from the electoral roll. Opposition parties and civil rights groups alleged that the revision was being used to disenfranchise poor and marginalised citizens over document-related issues.
Despite the criticism, the Election Commission of India defended the process as necessary to remove ineligible entries.
In March this year, the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutional validity of the SIR process.
Over 5 crore names removed in second phase
The second phase of SIR, announced in October last year, covered 12 states and Union Territories including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kerala and Gujarat.
Before the revision, the total voter base in these states stood at over 50.99 crore. After the cleanup, the number dropped to 45.81 crore — a reduction of more than 5.18 crore, or 10.2%.
Official data shows that 66.88 lakh deceased voters were removed, with the highest number from Uttar Pradesh (25.47 lakh), followed by West Bengal (24.16 lakh).
Another 63.16 lakh names were deleted after objections and verification during the process.
Welfare benefits linked to voter rolls
The exercise has raised fresh concerns after governments in Bihar and West Bengal reportedly began linking purified voter roll data with social welfare schemes.
This means that individuals whose names were deleted from electoral rolls could also face exclusion from certain government welfare benefits.
Critics say this could disproportionately impact vulnerable communities.
SIR now included in NCERT textbooks
In a significant development, SIR has now been included in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Social Science textbook.
The textbook describes the exercise as a step to ensure that “no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included” in electoral rolls.
The inclusion has sparked fresh debate over the political and institutional significance of the exercise.
Third phase underway in 19 regions
The third phase of SIR began on May 14 and is currently underway in 16 states and three Union Territories, including Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and the Delhi.
This phase covers nearly 36.73 crore voters and is expected to conclude later this year.
