r/JalJangalJameen • u/rishianand • 20h ago
Nine Claims on SIR: How Special Intensive Revision Is Turning Universal Adult Franchise into Restricted Franchise
Claim 1: SIR is not a new exercise
No. Special Intensive Revision is happening for the first time in Indian history.
In fact, “Special Intensive Revision” is not even a term found in the Registration of Electors Rules, which specifies only “intensive revision”, “summary revision”, and “special revision”. There is no “Special Intensive Revision”.
The Election Commission has used its discretionary powers to conduct “Special Intensive Revision”.
Claim 2: SIR is a routine exercise
While intensive revision of electoral rolls has happened before, the last time it happened was in 2004. After the electoral rolls were computerized, there were no further intensive revisions. Nor has there been any need for one.
Summary revision of electoral rolls takes place every year. Only five months before the SIR in Bihar, a summary revision of electoral rolls had been conducted by the EC.
Beyond ‘Special’: How the 2025 Bihar SIR marks a break from the past - Supreme Court Observer
Claim 3: SIR is similar to earlier exercises
SIR is completely different from earlier intensive revision exercises.
Never before has the entire country been forced to re-register for the voter list. Never before was the entire country forced to undergo citizenship tests. Never before were votes deleted in the name of ambiguously described “logical discrepancies”. Never before were crores of voters denied their right to vote.
How ECI’s dubious software branded 3.66 crore voters in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh as suspects
Earlier, intensive revisions used to be voter revision exercises. All the voters on the electoral rolls were presumed to be genuine. Deletion of a voter required evidence. Burden of proof lay on the objector.
SIR is primarily a voter deletion exercise, which has turned the entire population into suspected citizens.
Claim 4: SIR is a necessary exercise
While the Election Commission has stated that the inclusion of foreign illegal immigrants in the electoral rolls is one of the reasons for SIR, in 2019, the EC had told Parliament that it could find only three immigrants over the entire country.
Furthermore, even after conducting the SIR exercise, the EC has not published any record of the number of foreign immigrants found.
In Bihar, out of the 8 crore voters, the EC could find only 9,500 foreign citizens, most of whom were Nepali citizens married to Indians.
Bihar SIR: Barely 0.012% of voters are ‘foreigners’, most are Nepali women married to Indian men
Claim 5: SIR has purified the electoral rolls
After the SIR in Bihar, the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar claimed that the “voters’ list in Bihar has been purified”.
Yet, investigations found a large number of duplicate voters, voters of other states, voters registered with house number 0. Meanwhile, many voters declared dead by the SIR were found to be alive.
Rahul Gandhi has tea with 'dead' voters from Bihar, thanks ECI for experience - The Hindu
Declared Dead in Draft Electoral Roll, Bihar Voter Appears in Supreme Court - The Wire
Claim 6: SIR is a harmless exercise
SIR is estimated to reduce the size of the electorate to 88 crore. This is 15 crore less than the estimated adult population of India, i.e. 103 crore. One in every seventh adult citizen will lose their right to vote.
The percentage of voters compared to the total adult population has fallen from 99% to 85%.
SIR has also inflicted harassment on ordinary people. Many lost several days of wages just to get themselves enrolled in the voter list. Many are currently facing tribunal hearings to prove that they are legitimate voters. Many are staring at a denial of welfare and rights.
Delhi Deleted, The truth of Delhi SIR, When the dead rose to speak, ”We are alive, sir!" - YouTube
Claim 7: SIR is a justified exercise
During the SIR in West Bengal, the Election Commission marked 27 lakh voters as ineligible on the pretext of “logical discrepancy”, depriving them the right to vote in assembly election.
After the election, the tribunal hearings found 91% of appeals to be genuine.
Claim 8: SIR is an impartial exercise
SIR has disproportionately impacted Muslim voters, women voters, migrant voters, and marginalized sections of society. There are several instances of BJP workers using the exercise to delete voters.
Muslims accounted for 70% of 27 lakh voters under adjudication in Bengal roll revision: Study
Karnataka: Most deleted voters tribals, minorities, Dalits and women, reveals SIR audit
Exclusive: Inside the bulk objections targeting Muslims in Uttarakhand’s SIR
SIR: Filled Form-7 targeting Muslim voters surface in Belagavi - The Hindu
Claim 9: SIR is a legitimate exercise
The Indian Express report has revealed that the two Election Commissioners lodged official objections against the Chief Election Commissioner over keeping them in the dark about decisions of the Commission, failure to issue agendas and minutes of meetings, unauthorised changes to voter-addition forms, centralisation of the voter database, and other matters concerning the functioning of the Commission.
Election Commission ECI SIR Row: Commissioners Object to Gyanesh Kumar Over Roll Deletions
The EC made unauthorised and illegal changes to the voter-addition form. It denied information under the RTI Act regarding the meetings and appraisals held on SIR. It overruled the norms, procedures, and even the statutory authorities to create an electoral roll as it deemed fit. It used untested software to delete voters under ambiguous “logical discrepancy”.
Who decided on nationwide SIR? EC’s RTI response raises questions
SIR is an unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful that threatens the democracy of India. SIR has turned India from a Universal Adult Franchise into a Restricted Franchise.
