SIR in Manipur: Data shows disproportionately high deletions in tribal constituencies
Data from Manipur's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls reveals that tribal constituencies experienced significantly higher rates of voter deletions compared to non-tribal areas. This trend has sparked concerns regarding political representation in a region already fractured by ethnic conflict.
Why it matters
Disproportionate electoral roll deletions in conflict-affected areas can undermine democratic legitimacy and exacerbate existing ethnic tensions.
An analysis of constituency-wise deletions during the enumeration phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in conflict-hit Manipur showed that the 19 Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituencies witnessed disproportionately high deletions when compared with the remaining 41 Assembly constituencies (ACs).
The draft SIR rolls released on Sunday (July 5, 2026) showed that these 19 ACs in the hill areas—which have a predominant presence of the Kuki and Naga communities—accounted for 64.2% (1.02 lakh) of the 1.59 lakh deletions despite accounting for only 37.8% of the 20.93 lakh voters who were on the State’s electoral rolls before the SIR commenced.
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