One year of Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision: Over 5.8 crore names deleted from electoral rolls

The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has led to the deletion of more than 5.8 crore voters across 12 states and Union territories over the past year, as the poll roll purification exercise continues across another 19 states and UTs amid sustained political controversy.

The voter roll clean-up exercise, which completed one year on Thursday, was first launched as a pilot in Bihar on June 24 last year ahead of the state's assembly elections.

Also Read: SIR now part of class 9 NCERT textbook, Election Commission lauded for impartial polls


Following the Bihar exercise, nearly 65 lakh names were removed from the electoral rolls, triggering sharp criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups, who alleged that the revision was aimed at disenfranchising voters by imposing stringent documentation requirements. The Election Commission has consistently rejected the allegations, maintaining that the exercise is intended to remove duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible voters while ensuring that all eligible citizens remain on the rolls.

In March this year, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutional validity of the Election Commission's decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision.

The second phase of the exercise, announced on October 27 last year, covered Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.

Before the revision, these states and Union territories had a combined electorate of more than 50.99 crore. Following the exercise, the electoral rolls were reduced to 45.81 crore voters, reflecting a decline of over 5.18 crore names, or 10.2%.

According to Election Commission data, 66.88 lakh deceased voters were removed from the rolls during the exercise. Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number of deletions at 25.47 lakh, followed by poll-bound West Bengal with 24.16 lakh. Another 63.16 lakh names were deleted after objections were examined and adjudicated during the revision process.

The final electoral rolls for the 12 states and Union territories were published on different dates, with Uttar Pradesh being the last to release the revised rolls.

Also Read: Including Election Commission chapter in NCERT book is absolutely wrong: TMC's Saugata Roy

The third phase of the Special Intensive Revision began on May 14 and is currently underway in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The exercise covers an electorate of about 36.73 crore and is scheduled to conclude later this year.

The revision exercise has also acquired wider political and administrative significance. In both Bihar and West Bengal, state governments have announced that voter roll purification data will be linked to social security schemes, resulting in individuals whose names were deleted during the exercise being excluded from certain welfare benefits.

Meanwhile, the Special Intensive Revision has also found mention in the latest NCERT Social Science textbook, which describes it as an exercise aimed at ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out while preventing ineligible persons from remaining on the electoral rolls.

The voter roll revision has remained one of the Election Commission's most contentious initiatives in recent years, with opposition parties continuing to question its implementation even as the poll body presses ahead with the nationwide exercise.

(With inputs from PTI)