Congress calls SIR 'Shah Instigated Removal', flags large-scale voter deletions
The Congress party has accused the Union government of orchestrating large-scale voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Party leaders claim the process is biased against marginalized communities and women, demanding a review of the structural flaws.
Why it matters
Allegations of mass voter disenfranchisement raise significant concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and democratic representation in India.
NEW DELHI: Congress on Sunday took a swipe at Union home minister Amit Shah over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that it was a "Shah Instigated Removal" of voters.Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the Election Commission began Phase 1 of the SIR process in Bihar in June 2025, followed by Phase 2 in November 2025 across nine states and three Union Territories.According to Jairam Ramesh, 7.8 crore names were deleted during the first two phases, amounting to 13% of the pre-SIR electoral roll.Jairam said Phase 3 began in 16 states and three Union Territories in mid-2026. Citing data from 12 states and two UTs, he claimed that 6.18 crore names had been deleted from a total of 36.06 crore voters."The deletion rate works out to over 17% 2.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in