Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Congress Alleges Mass Voter Deletions During SIR Revision
India is checking its voter lists in a process called Special Intensive Revision, or SIR.
The first phase began in Bihar in June 2025.
The second phase began in November 2025 in nine states and three Union Territories.
Congress says 7.8 crore names were removed in those two phases.
It says 6.18 crore more names were removed in data from part of the third phase.
Congress also says 5.43 crore people were asked to show extra documents.
The party says poorer communities and women may have been affected more heavily.
The Election Commission says it is correcting the lists by removing duplicate or ineligible names and adding people who can legally vote.
Delhi officials said receiving a notice does not automatically mean a voter will be deleted and that people must have an opportunity to be heard.
Congress said 7.8 crore voter names were deleted during SIR Phases 1 and 2, equal to 13% of the pre-revision electorate.
Jairam Ramesh said 6.18 crore of 36.06 crore voters in data from 12 states and two Union Territories were deleted during Phase 3.
Congress said 5.43 crore additional voters received notices seeking documents to retain their names, putting about one in three voters at risk of deletion or already deleted.
Ramesh alleged that disadvantaged communities and women were disproportionately affected and called SIR “Shah Instigated Removal” and an assault on the Constitution.
The Election Commission said the 22-year revision is intended to remove ineligible and duplicate entries, add eligible voters, and provide due process before deletions.
- Who
- The Indian National Congress, represented by general secretary Jairam Ramesh, criticized the Election Commission of India’s revision; the Commission defended the exercise.
- What
- A dispute over voter-name deletions, verification notices, and the documentation required during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- When
- Phase 1 began in June 2025, Phase 2 in November 2025, and Phase 3 in mid-2026; the statements were reported on September 20.
- Where
- The process began in Bihar and expanded across India; cited Phase 3 data covers 12 states and two Union Territories, within a wider phase covering 16 states and three Union Territories.
- Why
- Congress said the process could exclude disadvantaged voters and impose an unfair documentation burden, while the Election Commission said it is correcting electoral rolls and including eligible voters.
Congress and Opposition Criticism
Election Commission and Officials’ Defense
Scale and purpose
Congress and Opposition Criticism
Congress alleged that SIR is a mass voter-removal exercise disproportionately affecting economically and socially disadvantaged groups, with more women than men reportedly deleted in most major states.
Election Commission and Officials’ Defense
The Election Commission said the revision is an administrative effort to remove ineligible and duplicate entries and include people legally eligible to vote.
Documentation burden
Congress and Opposition Criticism
Jairam Ramesh said the state had shifted responsibility to citizens to produce documents they might never have received, calling the process a “machine for exclusion.”
Election Commission and Officials’ Defense
Election officials said notices are issued to correct data and do not automatically result in deletion; Delhi officials said affected people must receive a hearing and an appealable order.
Political motivation
Congress and Opposition Criticism
Congress and opposition parties alleged that SIR could target electors not aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies. Ramesh used “Shah Instigated Removal” as a reference to Home Minister Amit Shah.
Election Commission and Officials’ Defense
The Election Commission characterized the process as a voter-roll revision designed to improve accuracy and legal validity; poll-panel sources cited notices to politicians and officials across party lines as evidence of impartiality.
Public disclosure and alleged deletions
Congress and Opposition Criticism
Ramesh said risk-of-deletion lists were publicly available in Karnataka, Telangana, and Jharkhand, while Delhi published its list only on September 19, 2026, after public pressure. Reports also cited allegations of bulk Form-7 deletion requests in Jharkhand’s Godda district.
Election Commission and Officials’ Defense
The reports say the Election Commission published Jharkhand’s draft rolls and that officials maintained that notices and deletions follow verification procedures; they do not provide a detailed response to every disclosure or Form-7 allegation.
- Revision process
- Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls
- Phases 1 and 2
- Congress said 7.8 crore names were deleted, representing 13% of the pre-SIR electorate.
- Phase 3 deletions
- Congress said 6.18 crore of 36.06 crore voters were deleted in data from 12 states and two Union Territories.
- Documentation notices
- Congress said 5.43 crore voters were asked to provide additional documents to retain their names.
- Combined risk claimed
- Congress estimated that 32%, or about one in three voters, had been deleted or faced a risk of deletion.
- Jharkhand draft rolls
- The Election Commission published draft rolls on August 5 after more than 43.61 lakh names were deleted, according to the reports.
- Delhi notice process
- Delhi election officials said notices do not mean automatic deletion and that voters must receive an opportunity to be heard and appeal.
- Election Commission position
- The Commission said the revision, conducted after 22 years, would remove ineligible and duplicate entries and include eligible voters.
Sources
‘SIR really means ‘Shah Instigated Removal’ of voters: Congress
Cong throws 'Shah Instigated Removal' barb as voter deletions go up in SIR Phase 3 - Telegraph India
Congress calls SIR 'Shah Instigated Removal' of voters, accuses process 'assault on Constitution'
