Politics

Voters Protest Deletion of Names from Electoral Rolls During SIR Exercise

By Sandeep Phukan

During a symbolic “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday, October 31, 2026, voters in New Delhi raised concerns that their names had been removed from electoral rolls during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise. Anita Jaiswal, who moved from Kolkata to Delhi, said she had voted in every election from 2012 to 2025 but was now required to prove her citizenship. She complained that she was told to obtain an Aadhaar card to prove her citizenship and asked who had the authority to delete her voter ID. Jaiswal added, “Prove which country I am from.”

Iftikar Ahmed, another voter from Kolkata, said he had voted in the same Chowrangee constituency for 20 years but received a notice during the SIR hearing asking for documents because of a mapping discrepancy. He noted that his father had also voted from the same address for two decades and alleged that “our names have been removed in a planned manner.”

Nikhil Dey, founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, introduced Kanta Prasad, who had been declared dead in the exercise. Dey said, “He spoke very convincingly for a corpse! The deprivation of the right to vote is a crime against the Constitution and a blot on our democracy. There must be accountability,” adding that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had posted a similar statement on X.

RTI activist Anjali Bharadwaj reported that the Election Commission of India (ECI) replied to an application for copies of files recording the decision‑making process behind the SIR that no such file existed. She cited T.C. Kom, a Principal Secretary, who said the ECI had not decided to conduct an SIR.

Swaraj Abhiyan chief Yogendra Yadav called Mr. Kumar the “Mukhya Chunav Abhiyukt (Chief Election Culprit)” instead of the “Mukhya Chunav Ayukt (Chief Election Commissioner).” All India Students’ Association national president Neha Bora alleged that the SIR was a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise young voters and undermine democracy, claiming that the statutory authority of electoral registration officers (EROs) was being overridden by software that excluded eligible voters. She said, “You have abused your public office and favoured one political party.”

The programme took place in the garden of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in New Delhi. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, while Mr. Kharge moved the motion. Published – November 01, 2026 12:51 am IST