Why the Congress is demanding a haltto the Special Intensive Revision process

The Congress party has demanded an immediate stop to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, alleging that genuine voters are being wrongly removed from electoral rolls. This issue matters because it raises concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of citizens across the country.

What happened during the revision

On October 19, 2026, the Congress party flagged what it described as wrongful deletions. These occurred during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated the process is unconstitutional. He demanded it be stopped immediately and that all illegitimately deleted voters be restored.

Reports cited a public audit covering 258 households over seven days. This audit found at least 100 voters in two Delhi polling booths were incorrectly classified.

These voters were wrongly marked as absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate. This is known as the ASDD category.

Why this matters for voters

This dispute highlights the importance of accurate voter lists. It ensures no citizen is denied the right to participate in elections.

The following groups are potentially affected by these administrative processes:

• Voters who may be unaware their names were removed from the rolls.
• Citizens classified under the Absent or Shifted categories.
• Residents who have not been contacted by their local Booth Level Officers.
• Individuals who rely on special camps to verify their registration status.

According to the Congress, over 9 crore voters have been deleted nationally. This occurred under the categories of absent and shifted alone.

The party argues many of these individuals may be genuine voters. They are now unable to cast their ballots.

Ramesh noted that many wrongfully deleted voters are unaware of the special camps. They have also not been contacted by their Booth Level Officers.

How we got here

The Election Commission of India conducts periodic revisions. This keeps electoral rolls updated with current information.

The current process, known as the Special Intensive Revision, aims to clean the rolls. It identifies entries that are no longer valid, such as for people who have passed away or moved.

However, the process has faced criticism regarding its implementation. While the BJP has defended the revision as cleaning the voter rolls, civil society organizations have raised alarms about accuracy.

Reports suggest promised door-to-door visits and special camps have not always reached the affected voters.

Last week, the Congress had termed the Special Intensive Revision illegal and unconstitutional. It demanded the exercise be frozen and legitimate names restored.

Ramesh had described the SIR as a method of disenfranchising Indians. He pointed out that a vast majority of deletions have been in the ASDD category.

What happens next

The controversy involves ongoing institutional discussions and public scrutiny. The following steps may occur as the situation develops:

1. Further scrutiny of the Election Commission’s internal decision-making processes.
2. Potential reviews of the criteria used by Booth Level Officers to classify voters.
3. Increased pressure for the restoration of names that were allegedly deleted without proper verification.

The EC has said that differing views and observations are a part of deliberations in any institution. It maintains that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.

Ramesh’s remarks come amid a row after reports that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders mostly related to the SIR process.

Key facts at a glance

• The Congress party has labeled the current revision process as illegal and unconstitutional.
• A public audit identified at least 100 wrongly deleted voters in two Delhi polling booths.
• Over 9 crore voters have been deleted nationally under the absent and shifted categories.
• Election commissioners have reportedly recorded objections to decisions related to the revision process.
• The Congress party is demanding that all illegitimately deleted voters be restored to the rolls.

Read the news report this explainer is based on: Unconstitutional SIR must be stopped, all illegitimately deleted voters must be restored: Congress.

Source: Ebenezer News Explainer Desk · Ebenezer News Explainer Desk. Published 19 Oct 2026, 05:18 pm.