Congress Targets Government Over Electoral Roll Revision, Claims Millions Face Deletion Risk (Image: Google)
New Delhi: The political debate over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified on Sunday after the Congress party raised concerns over alleged voter deletions during the ongoing revision exercise.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh criticised the process and accused the government of using the exercise to remove voters from electoral rolls. The Election Commission has conducted SIR phases across multiple states and Union Territories.
Targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jairam Ramesh referred to SIR as “Shah Instigated Removal” while alleging that a large number of voters had either been removed or faced the possibility of deletion. The remarks came as the party questioned the scale of voter verification and the impact of the process on citizens.
According to Jairam Ramesh, the first two phases of SIR resulted in the deletion of 7.8 crore names from electoral rolls, which he claimed accounted for around 13% of the pre-SIR voter list. He said Phase 3 of the revision process began in 16 states and three Union Territories in mid-2026. Citing data from 12 states and two Union Territories, he claimed that 6.18 crore names had been deleted from a voter base of 36.06 crore.
Jairam Ramesh also claimed that 5.43 crore voters had received notices requiring additional documents to retain their names on electoral rolls. He argued that the requirement for further verification after large-scale deletions raised questions about the effectiveness and transparency of the process.
The SIR exercise has become a major political issue, with opposition parties raising concerns over voter verification, while authorities maintain that electoral roll revision is part of the process of ensuring accurate voter lists.
The debate over voter inclusion, deletion and verification is expected to continue as the revision process progresses.
