New Delhi [India], September 21 (ANI): Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday questioned the Election Commission of India over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, alleging that the process has put crores of voters at risk of deletion and affects the most marginalised.
Reacting to a press release issued by CEO Delhi on notices being sent to VIP electors and prominent individuals during the ongoing SIR, Ramesh said the real issue is not about influential persons but the vast majority.
CEO Delhi has issued a press release on notices being sent to VIP electors and prominent individuals during the ongoing SIR. However, the issue is not about influential persons who will find a way to have their names included, but the vast majority who will struggle to do so.… https://t.co/Pxuld7mAA4
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 21, 2026
In a post on X, Ramesh said, "CEO Delhi has issued a press release on notices being sent to VIP electors and prominent individuals during the ongoing SIR. However, the issue is not about influential persons who will find a way to have their names included, but the vast majority who will struggle to do so. 5.43 crore Indians across 14 states and UTs have received such notices demanding additional documentation to prove their citizenship. There is abundant evidence that deletions affect the most socially and economically marginalised groups, including slum dwellers, the poor and women."
The Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications said that during the enumeration phase itself, names of over 6 crore voters were removed, and now additional voters face risk.
Raising questions on the scale of deletion, he said, "During the enumeration phase, names of over 6 Cr voters were removed."
"The ECI must explain why, after this, now an additional 5.4 cr voters are at risk of deletion? In Delhi, 54% of voters have either been deleted or face the risk of deletion. This is an absurdly high share that calls the whole voter roll into question. Other BJP states have still not released the list of voters at risk of deletion. This is an appalling lack of transparency, and every state must release the list immediately," Ramesh wrote on X.
On the risk of deletion, he said, "CEO claims, 'There is no existential crisis'. Unless voters provide adequate documentation to the satisfaction of the BLO/ERO, they can be struck off the final roll. So they remain at risk of deletion. Very serious concerns have been raised about the SIR process. The ECI must address these concerns about a process that has become a Method Of Disenfranchising Indians."
On Sunday, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, clarified that notices issued to certain electors during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls do not mean that their names will be deleted, while stating that no name can be removed without giving the elector an opportunity of being heard and passing a proper, speaking and appealable order.
The clarification came amid reports in print and social media about notices being issued to VIPs and marked electors during the SIR exercise in the national capital.
The CEO office said the draft electoral roll was prepared on the basis of information provided by electors in Enumeration Forms submitted to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and was published on August 31. The draft roll has been made available on the CEO Delhi website, offices of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), as well as at designated polling station locations.
The Election Commission of India had announced the SIR in Delhi on May 14 with the objective of ensuring that "No eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the Electoral Roll." (ANI)
