Congress cites The Hindu article to allege SIR is leading to deletion of genuine voters

The Congress on Friday (October 9, 2026) cited an opinion piece published in The Hindu to allege that the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was resulting in the deletion of genuine voters and undermining the constitutional guarantee of adult suffrage.

Sharing the article on X, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said: “Here is a thorough analysis of how SIR is destroying the letter and spirit of Article 326 of the Constitution and deliberately disenfranchising crores of Indians.”

“SIR has been a mischievous instrument wielded by the CEC (Chief Election Commissioner) to perpetuate the rule of the Diabolical Duo,” he added.

In a separate post, citing a report by The Reporters’ Collective, Mr. Ramesh claimed that 2.96 crore voters had been removed from Uttar Pradesh’s electoral rolls during the SIR, the highest number among the States where the exercise has been conducted.

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He also questioned the addition of around 16 lakh voters through Form 6, alleging that their details had not been made public despite requests for information.

Mr. Ramesh further alleged that 85,854 pre-filled copies of Form 7, used to raise objections to voter entries, were generated through the ERONet software after the deadline for claims and objections had expired.

He questioned the procedure, arguing that electoral registration officers could not act as both complainants and decision-makers.

The allegations come amid escalating Opposition protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal over alleged electoral irregularities.