Unconstitutional SIR must be stopped, all illegitimately deleted voters must be restored: Congress

A Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is a comprehensive exercise to check and update electoral rolls. It matters because the process can remove ineligible entries while also affecting genuine voters if verification fails. The article describes SIR through its ASDD categories and references door-to-door visits and special camps. It does not give a full formal definition.

The usual Summary Revision, or SSR, is presented as the annual revision of electoral rolls. The Election Commission of India ordered SSR in 17 States and Union territories, including areas due to hold Assembly elections early next year. SIR is generally understood as more intensive than this routine annual exercise, with closer verification of individual entries.

The dispute concerns how SIR is being carried out. Jairam Ramesh cited a Delhi audit that found at least 100 voters wrongly classified under ASDD in two booths. Congress demanded that the process stop and that wrongly deleted voters be restored, while the ECI’s camps and verification efforts remain central to the issue.

ASDD is an abbreviation for Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate. These categories describe why an electoral-roll entry may be treated as needing deletion or verification. They matter because a label can determine whether a person remains eligible to vote. The article focuses especially on the risk that genuine voters were wrongly placed in these categories.

For example, a voter may be marked Absent if verification does not find them at the recorded address, or Shifted if officials believe they moved. Dead refers to a deceased voter, while Duplicate refers to an entry believed to appear more than once. The article does not explain the ECI’s detailed tests for assigning each label.

Jairam Ramesh said most deletions in the SIR process were in the ASDD category, especially Absent and Shifted. A Delhi public audit reportedly found at least 100 wrongly deleted voters in two booths, showing why each classification requires reliable verification and a chance to correct errors.

The article reports that over 9 crore voters were deleted across the country in the Absent and Shifted categories alone. That figure gives the controversy its national scale. It also raises concern that some people whose names disappeared may still be genuine voters entitled to participate in elections.

The Delhi figure is much smaller but more closely examined. A public audit by civil society organisations reportedly found at least 100 voters wrongly deleted under ASDD in two polling booths in Delhi’s Okhla constituency. Most of those cases were classified as Shifted or Absent. The audit covered 258 households over seven days.

These figures underpin Congress’s demand for immediate action. Jairam Ramesh argued that civil society should not have to identify the errors and called for illegitimately deleted voters to be restored. The article does not provide a nationwide independent audit of the 9-crore figure, but presents it as Ramesh’s stated concern.

The Delhi public audit offered on-the-ground evidence rather than only a national total. Civil society organisations examined voter records and household information in two polling booths in Delhi’s Okhla constituency. Their findings were used to support the claim that some deletions made during SIR were wrongful.

The audit covered 258 households over seven days. It reportedly found at least 100 voters who had been wrongly classified under ASDD. Most of these voters were placed in the Shifted or Absent categories. The article also describes the cases as voters wrongly deleted, not merely entries that required routine checking.

This evidence matters because it connects a large national claim to specific households and polling booths. Jairam Ramesh used the audit to argue that the ECI should correct the problem itself. He also said many affected voters did not know about special camps and had not been contacted by Booth Level Officers.

Booth Level Officers, or BLOs, are election personnel assigned to work at the polling-booth level. Their role matters because accurate voter verification depends on contact with people at their registered addresses. The article refers to them in connection with promised door-to-door visits and the handling of voters affected by SIR.

The process is supposed to give voters a way to clarify their status. BLOs may check whether a person is present, has shifted, is deceased, or appears as a duplicate. They should also help communicate information about special camps and available steps when an entry is questioned or deleted. The article does not list every formal BLO duty.

Ramesh said many wrongfully deleted voters were unaware of the camps and had not been contacted by their BLOs. This alleged gap is central to the dispute. It suggests that verification must include meaningful notice and contact, not simply a classification in the electoral database.

An electoral-roll deletion can stop a person from voting because their name is no longer included among eligible voters. That directly affects participation in elections and can leave a genuine resident without a practical way to choose representatives. The article frames wrongful deletion as a denial of the right to vote.

The Delhi audit gives a concrete example. At least 100 voters in two Okhla polling booths were reportedly marked under ASDD even though the audit found them to be wrongly deleted. Most were placed in the Absent or Shifted categories. If those entries remain unresolved, the affected voters could face difficulty voting when an election is held.

Congress therefore demanded that the SIR process be stopped and all illegitimately deleted voters restored. The article also says many affected people did not know about special camps or receive contact from BLOs. Effective correction depends on notice, accessible verification and timely restoration before polling.

An accurate electoral roll is essential because it determines who can take part in elections. If genuine voters are removed, representation may not reflect the people entitled to participate. If duplicate or otherwise invalid entries remain, the roll may also become less reliable. The article presents both accuracy and voter protection as important parts of the dispute.

The Delhi audit shows why safeguards matter. It reportedly found at least 100 wrongly deleted voters among 258 households checked across two Okhla booths. Most were classified as Absent or Shifted. Before removing a name, officials should verify the information carefully, contact the voter, provide clear notice, and offer a meaningful opportunity to correct the record.

The article says many affected voters were unaware of special camps and had not been contacted by BLOs. It also reports Congress’s demand that illegitimately deleted voters be restored. These facts point to safeguards based on transparent verification, accessible appeals and prompt correction before elections.