Context: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has faced concerns over the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision-making, database management and procedures for deletion and verification of electors.
- Reported internal disagreements among Election Commissioners have intensified questions about transparency, due process and institutional accountability.
Concerns Within the Election Commission
- Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly recorded objections at least 14 times between October 2025 and August 2026, including concerns that certain decisions were taken without their knowledge.
- In May 2026, Vivek Joshi reportedly cautioned that Form 6, used for applying for inclusion as a new elector, could not be modified without an amendment to the relevant rules.
- The revised Form 6 subsequently included questions about whether the applicant, parents or grandparents appeared in the electoral roll of the previous SIR; Sandhu reportedly termed these additions “unauthorised and illegal”.
Electoral Database and Field-Level Concerns
- Election Commissioners flagged the centralisation of the electoral-roll database and sought an audit of the system.
- Field officials reportedly lacked complete access to the ERONet portal, affecting their ability to carry out electoral-roll functions.
- Local election officials had similarly alleged that changes were being made at the central database level, overriding the role of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
- Under the statutory framework, EROs are responsible for determining the eligibility of persons for inclusion in electoral rolls within their constituencies.
Impact in West Bengal
- Around 60 lakh electors were reportedly flagged by software for “logical discrepancies”, many of which were questioned as potentially dubious.
- Around 27 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls.
- Of approximately 38 lakh appeals pending before tribunals, around 16.1 lakh were filed by persons seeking removal of voters whom judicial officers had included in the rolls.
- Questions remain regarding who authorised the ECI to file such appeals on its behalf.
- More than 90% of appeals against deletion decided so far resulted in restoration of the elector, raising concerns that genuine voters may have been excluded before the election.
Concerns Reported in Delhi
- An analysis reportedly found that 24 of Delhi’s 70 Assembly constituencies had fewer electors in the draft rolls than the number of people who had actually voted about 18 months earlier.
- Such discrepancies raise questions regarding the scale and accuracy of electoral-roll deletions and the need for systematic verification.
Constitutional and Legal Dimensions
- The 2023 law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners replaced the Chief Justice of India on the selection panel with a Union Minister.
- In a recent opinion, Justice Dipankar Datta reportedly held that this change failed the “perception test”, referring to the requirement that an institution should not merely be independent but should also be perceived as independent.
- The panel constituted under this framework selected Gyanesh Kumar as CEC.
Special Intensive Revision: Key Institutional Issue
- Electoral-roll revision is intended to identify eligible voters, correct errors and remove ineligible or duplicate entries, while ensuring that genuine electors are not disenfranchised.
- A key concern raised regarding the SIR design is that deletion may precede complete verification, potentially shifting the burden onto citizens to establish their eligibility.
- This raises a constitutional concern because universal adult suffrage is central to India’s electoral democracy, and exclusion from the electoral roll directly affects the exercise of the right to vote.
Relevant Institutions and Concepts
- Election Commission of India: Constitutional body under Article 324, responsible for the superintendence, direction and control of elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President.
- Electoral Registration Officer: Statutory authority responsible for preparing and revising electoral rolls for a constituency.
- Form 6: Application for inclusion of a person's name in the electoral roll, particularly for new electors.
- ERONet: An ECI digital platform used for managing electoral-roll-related processes and integrating electoral information.
- Universal Adult Suffrage: Constitutional principle under Article 326, under which elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies are based on adult suffrage, subject to constitutionally permitted disqualifications.
Significance
- The controversy highlights the need to balance electoral-roll accuracy with protection against wrongful disenfranchisement.
- It also raises broader questions regarding institutional independence, transparency in ECI decision-making, database governance, accountability of electoral officials and procedural fairness.
- Robust auditing, transparent verification procedures and effective opportunities for appeal are important to maintain public confidence in electoral institutions.
