Congress alleges large-scale voter deletions during SIR exercise

Congress on Sunday alleged large-scale deletion of voters, particularly from marginalised sections, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling it an assault on the Constitution. General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said 7.8 crore names were deleted in Phase 1 in Bihar and Phase 2 in 12 states and UTs, a 13 per cent rate. In Phase 3, he said 6.18 crore of 36.06 crore were deleted, with 5.43 crore issued notices, affecting 32 per cent of voters overall.

Written by AI from Deccan Herald — National · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 22 Sept 2026, 3:13 am IST

Source

Deccan Herald — National · read the original report ↗

#sir#electoral rolls#congress#jairam ramesh#election commission

Desk check · some claims need care

What the desk checked (5)

7.8 crore names were deleted in SIR Phase 1 in Bihar and Phase 2 in 12 states and UTs, a 13 per cent deletion rate. — Attributed to Jairam Ramesh's statement; figure appears in source, not independently confirmed by any official body in the text.
In SIR Phase 3, 6.18 crore of 36.06 crore voters in 12 states and 2 UTs were deleted, a rate above 17 per cent. — Attributed to Ramesh, citing data he says comes from those states/UTs; source of underlying data not specified.
An additional 5.43 crore voters (15 per cent) received notices seeking extra documents. — Attributed to Ramesh; figure appears in source without official corroboration.
32 per cent of voters have been deleted or face risk of deletion, led by Delhi (53.73%), Chandigarh (52.58%) and Telangana (48.90%). — State-wise percentages attributed to Ramesh's statement; no methodology given in source.
SIR amounts to 'Shah Instigated Removal' and an assault on the Constitution. — Direct quote and political characterisation by Ramesh, apparently aimed at Home Minister Amit Shah; opinion, not verified fact.

Written by AI from Deccan Herald — National · not yet reviewed by an editor · How we use AI · Report an error

Analysts’ view opinion

AI Political Analyst

Congress is framing the SIR not as an administrative exercise but as a constitutional assault, and by coining a phrase that points at the Home Minister it is deliberately personalising the fight. Stressing that the deleted voters are disproportionately from the poorest, most disadvantaged sections and that more women than men were removed is a bid to plug the issue directly into the party's social-justice pitch. The state-by-state numbers also give the opposition a ready-made common cause. Notably, the story carries no Election Commission or BJP response, so this remains a one-sided argument for now.

The "Shah Instigated Removal" label converts a technical revision process into a simple, personalised political slogan aimed at a single national target.
By highlighting the impact on marginalised groups and women, Congress is trying to consolidate the constituencies most responsive to its social-justice framing.
Listing Delhi, Chandigarh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Haryana and others positions this as a nationwide issue rather than a state-specific grievance, creating space for broader opposition coordination.
The contrast between states that published at-risk lists and BJP-ruled states that reportedly have not shifts the debate onto transparency and accountability, a comparatively harder charge to rebut.
The question of why 5.43 crore voters still face notices after such large deletions is Congress's strongest process-based line of attack, as opposed to purely political rhetoric.

What to watch — Watch for how the Election Commission responds to these figures, the BJP's counter-framing, and whether other opposition parties join Congress in a coordinated agitation or legal challenge.

Every figure and allegation here comes from a Congress statement; the story contains no independent verification and no response from the Election Commission or the BJP.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been rolled out in phases — Phase 1 in Bihar, Phase 2 in 12 states and union territories, and Phase 3 in 19 states and UTs. The exercise requires voters to furnish documentation for their names to be retained on the rolls. On Sunday, the Congress issued a statement alleging that the revision has led to large-scale deletions, concentrated among economically and socially disadvantaged voters and women, and called it an "assault on our Constitution". The party's charge is framed as a political attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh dubbing SIR a "Shah Instigated Removal".</p>

Key facts

Congress says 7.8 crore names were deleted from voter lists in SIR Phase 1 (Bihar) and Phase 2 (12 states and UTs) — a deletion rate of 13 per cent of the pre-SIR roll.
SIR Phase 3 was rolled out in 19 states and UTs; Congress cites data from 12 states and 2 UTs.
In Phase 3, Ramesh claims 6.18 crore of a total 36.06 crore voters were deleted — a deletion rate of over 17 per cent.
An additional 5.43 crore voters (15 per cent) were issued notices demanding extra documentation to retain their names.
Congress claims 32 per cent of voters overall have been deleted or face risk of deletion.
State-wise risk figures cited: Delhi 53.73%, Chandigarh 52.58%, Telangana 48.90%, Jharkhand 39.57%, Haryana 37.5%, Uttarakhand 35.71%, Meghalaya 35.36%, Maharashtra 33.88%.
Further figures cited: Karnataka 27.6%, Odisha 23.67%, Andhra Pradesh 21.17%, Punjab 15.23%.
Karnataka, Telangana and Jharkhand published the list of voters facing risk of deletion; Delhi did so only on September 19 after public pressure.

Timeline

SIR Phase 1Revision conducted in Bihar.
SIR Phase 2Revision extended to 12 states and union territories; Phases 1 and 2 together saw 7.8 crore deletions (13 per cent).
SIR Phase 3Rolled out in 19 states and UTs; Congress cites 6.18 crore deletions out of 36.06 crore from 12 states and 2 UTs.
September 19Delhi publicly released the list of voters facing risk of deletion, which Congress says came only after public pressure.
Sunday (date not stated in the source)Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh issues statement calling SIR an "assault on our Constitution".

Who has a stake

Congress / Jairam Ramesh — Leading the political charge, alleging SIR is a "machine for exclusion" targeting marginalised voters and demanding transparency in deletion lists.
Voters from economically and socially disadvantaged sections — Congress says large-scale deletions are overwhelmingly from these groups; risk of losing the right to vote.
Women voters — Ramesh claims that in most major states more women than men have been deleted from the rolls during SIR.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah — Target of Congress's "Shah Instigated Removal" jibe; the exercise is framed by the party as politically instigated.
State governments (BJP-ruled states and Punjab) — Congress says they have not yet published lists of voters facing risk of deletion, unlike Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand and (belatedly) Delhi.
The 5.43 crore voters issued notices — Must produce additional documentation to have their names retained on the electoral roll.

Why it matters

The electoral roll is the foundation of the right to vote, and deletions on the scale alleged by the Congress would affect crores of citizens, disproportionately the poor and women, in the party's account. The dispute also raises a procedural question the Congress highlights: whether the burden of proving eligibility should rest on citizens who may never have been issued the documents now demanded. Transparency — whether states publish lists of voters at risk — becomes central to whether affected voters can contest their exclusion.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

SIR stands for Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls; Phase 1 covered Bihar, Phase 2 covered 12 states and UTs, Phase 3 was rolled out in 19 states and UTs.
Congress figure: 7.8 crore deletions in Phases 1 and 2, a 13 per cent deletion rate.
Congress figure for Phase 3 (12 states, 2 UTs): 6.18 crore deleted out of 36.06 crore, over 17 per cent.
5.43 crore voters (15 per cent) issued notices seeking additional documentation, per Congress.
Delhi tops the Congress list of voters deleted or at risk at 53.73%, followed by Chandigarh at 52.58%.
Jairam Ramesh is Congress General Secretary (Communications); he coined the phrase "Shah Instigated Removal".

Mains framing

The Congress's allegations on the Special Intensive Revision raise the classic tension between roll purification and inclusive franchise. The party's case rests on three claims: the scale of deletions (7.8 crore in Phases 1 and 2 at a 13 per cent rate; 6.18 crore of 36.06 crore at over 17 per cent in Phase 3), the social profile of those deleted (the most economically and socially disadvantaged, and more women than men in most major states), and a procedural shift in which the State has "abdicated" its duty and placed the burden on citizens to produce documents it may never have issued — a test Ramesh argues most citizens cannot pass, making it "just a machine for exclusion". The additional 5.43 crore notices (15 per cent) are cited as evidence of "structural flaws", since a large verification backlog after heavy deletion suggests the process itself is unreliable. Implications run to the credibility of the electoral roll and, by extension, of elections in the states covered. The way forward suggested by the story's own facts is transparency and verifiability: publishing lists of voters at risk of deletion, as Karnataka, Telangana and Jharkhand did and Delhi did only on September 19, so that affected voters can check and contest their status, alongside grievance redress for those unable to furnish documents.

Key terms

Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A phased revision of electoral rolls; Phase 1 in Bihar, Phase 2 in 12 states and UTs, Phase 3 in 19 states and UTs.
Deletion rate: Names removed as a proportion of the pre-SIR electoral roll — 13 per cent in Phases 1 and 2 and over 17 per cent in Phase 3, per Congress.
Notices for additional documentation: Demands issued to 5.43 crore voters (15 per cent) to submit further documents so their names are retained on the roll.
"Shah Instigated Removal": Jairam Ramesh's re-coining of the SIR acronym, an apparent attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Voters at risk of deletion: Those whose names may be struck off; Congress says 32 per cent of voters are deleted or at risk, with Delhi highest at 53.73%.

Practice questions

Critically examine the Congress's claim that placing the burden of documentation on citizens during the SIR turns electoral roll revision into "a machine for exclusion".
Discuss how transparency measures such as public disclosure of lists of voters at risk of deletion can strengthen the integrity of electoral rolls.
"More women than men have been deleted from the rolls in most major states." Evaluate the implications of such a pattern for inclusive electoral participation.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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