Future polls must use pre-SIR voter rolls, civil society groups demand full rollback
Senior lawyers and civil society members on Monday, September 28, 2026, called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to immediately roll back the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls undertaken nationwide and to reinstate every elector removed during the exercise. They insisted that all forthcoming elections be held using voter lists as they existed prior to the SIR, subject only to a routine summary revision as was the practice earlier.
Call issued under ‘Together We Stand’
Addressing the media under the banner of ‘Together We Stand’, the group said the integrity of India’s electoral process had been compromised by the SIR. They demanded that future polls be conducted on the basis of pre-SIR electoral rolls to ensure no eligible voter is denied the franchise due to disputed deletions or procedural lapses.
The speakers also demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Failing that, they said, proceedings to remove him should be initiated without delay.
‘Scrap all ECI decisions’
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal urged the Supreme Court to annul ECI decisions that were not taken by the full Commission, citing a recent expose suggesting the other two Election Commissioners had objected to a number of decisions during the SIR. “Now the time has come that the Supreme Court should scrap all decisions of the ECI, as we know that they are not the decisions of the full Commission,” Mr. Sibal said.
He reiterated that pre-SIR voter lists should be used in upcoming elections. “We want to give a message to the country that, if free and fair polls are under threat, then what remains of democracy? The youth and nation must stand together to oppose and make sure that democratic India not only survives but thrives,” he added.
Public social audit and due process
The activists pressed for a public social audit of electoral rolls as envisaged in the Manual on Electoral Rolls issued in December 2023. Quoting the manual, they said: “No voter must be removed without an open and public verification process at the level of gram sabha / ward sabha / booth, in the presence of [a block-level officer] BLO and [Electoral Registration Officer] ERO with facilities for immediate corrections of wrongful deletions.”
Claims of a shrinking electorate
Political activist and psephologist Yogendra Yadav cited government data to allege that the electorate had shrunk drastically following the SIR. He said that during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, India’s adult population stood at 99 crore with 98 crore names on the voter list. Now, he said, the adult population is 103 crore, yet the voter list has dropped to 88 crore names.
Alleged legal violations and criticism of oversight
Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan asserted that the SIR exercise violated the Representation of the People Act. He claimed there had been no formal ECI meeting decision authorising the SIR and criticised judicial oversight of the process. “Unfortunately the Supreme Court let it happen right under their noses,” he said.
The civil society speakers also called for the repeal of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023. They demanded an independent and credible inquiry into the constitutionality and legality of all decisions taken under CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Demands for transparency on SIR process
The group sought comprehensive transparency, asking that every SIR-related document be placed in the public domain. This includes the original files authorising the SIR in each phase; all minutes of Commission meetings; any objections by Election Commissioners (ECs) or Deputy Election Commissioners (DECs); the complete log and source code of ECInet; the criteria used for categorising voters (such as “logical discrepancy” or “VIP”); details of changes to the BLO App; and all communications between the Commission and State Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), and between CEOs and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), including WhatsApp communications. They also sought the records behind the decision to file appeals against the inclusion of over 16 lakh names in the West Bengal voter list.
Restoration of benefits and a pledge to persist
The groups urged the immediate restoration of welfare benefits to individuals who were wrongfully denied entitlements after their names were deleted from voter rolls. Emphasising that they would continue to press these demands, lawyer Sanjay Hegde said, “We will not be quiet anymore.”
What’s next
The civil society coalition said it would keep up public pressure for a full rollback of the SIR, the reinstatement of all deleted voters, and the use of pre-SIR rolls for any upcoming elections, alongside a transparent, participatory review process. Their demands place the focus on judicial scrutiny of ECI decisions, statutory compliance, and public verification mechanisms to ensure both the accuracy and legitimacy of the electoral roll.
