India's Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls Faces Controversy Amid Claims of Disenfranchisement
India is conducting one of its largest electoral roll revisions in decades through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across 9 states and 3 union territories, with the final lists expected by February 2026.
The SIR process has sparked significant controversy and opposition claims that it disenfranchises poor and minority voters, particularly Muslims, to benefit the ruling BJP-led government. Critics have labeled the SIR as a covert national register intended to exclude certain populations.
The BJP rejects these allegations, portraying the SIR as a routine effort to cleanse the voter rolls of deceased, ineligible, and duplicate voters, using terms including removing infiltrators. Amit Shah has emphasized that democracy is protected by the policy of detect, delete, and deport during the SIR.
In the eastern state of West Bengal, the SIR has been described by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as politically motivated to capture the state. Reports from the region indicate fear and distress among the Muslim population, with some linked deaths and suicides, including that of Jahir Mal.
Earlier in Bihar this year, the SIR removed over 6.5 million people from the electoral rolls. The BJP subsequently won the Bihar elections in a landslide. The Election Commission stated that removals were due to voters who were dead or had moved away, though some have contested these claims.
Bangladeshis living in India, including Hindu immigrants, report receiving assurances from local BJP leaders regarding their citizenship status, while fears of deportation remain particularly acute among Muslim populations.
Political opposition across states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala have voiced strong resistance to the SIR. The Tamil Nadu DMK opposes the process, while Kerala's CPI(M)-led government condemns it as a backdoor citizenship survey.
In parliamentary debates, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of vote theft and undermining democracy through the SIR, citing evidence of foul play. However, Amit Shah and the Election Commission defended the process as normal administrative maintenance of voter lists.
