SIR being undertaken in poorly planned manner, EC should halt it: CPI(M)

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise going on in 12 States and Union Territories is being undertaken in “tearing hurry and poorly planned manner”, the CPI(M) said on Saturday (November 29, 2025), urging the Election Commission to halt the exercise.

In a statement issued here, the politburo of the CPI(M) said what was meant to be a routine, transparent and citizen-friendly exercise has turned into a “chaotic, arbitrary process that threatens both the integrity of the voter rolls and the safety of those forced to undertake that work”.

“The CPI(M) reiterates its strong opposition to the manner in which the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls is being carried out across the country,” the Left party said.

It said the entire exercise is being conducted in a “tearing hurry and poorly planned manner”. “Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been given impossible deadlines to the complete the door-to-door verification,” it said.

The CPI(M) alleged that this haste has led to complaints at several places of BLOs camping in some party offices and asking voters to visit them. “All these will inevitably lead to mass exclusion and errors,” it said.

The Left party said the immense pressure that has befallen the BLOs has “already claimed many lives“. “They are working under crushing workloads, without adequate rest or safeguards. These are not accidental casualties — they are the direct outcome of an irresponsible and inhuman administrative process,” it said.

The CPI(M) said it is also “shocking” that the EC is allegedly not using its own duplicate-voter detection software, a tool specifically created to ensure accuracy and reduce manual burdens.

“This raises serious concerns about the real intent and purpose behind the current revision,” it said.

“This is compounded by the fact that both BLOs and ordinary voters who want to upload forms are facing problems of internet connectivity, unstable servers, and repeated technical failures. For many — especially for marginalised sections and in rural areas — uploading a simple form has become an ordeal, effectively creating new barriers to voter inclusion,” it said.

The CPI(M) demanded that the EC should immediately halt this “flawed process” and “stop the disenfranchisement of a large number of people”.