The Election Commission of India (ECI) rejected allegations of large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, clarifying that the claim that 13 crore voters have been removed from the voter list is misleading. The Commission said the figure refers to electors marked as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate at the draft stage and does not represent the number of names deleted from the final electoral rolls.
In a document addressing frequently asked questions about the SIR process, the ECI explained that approximately 13 crore electors had been categorised under the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) classification during the preparation of draft electoral rolls. These include around 2.8 crore deceased voters, three crore absent or untraceable electors, 6.3 crore permanently shifted voters and nearly one crore people registered at multiple locations.
The Commission said the draft rolls and the corresponding lists were shared with political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for verification. Eligible voters have also been given the opportunity to file claims and objections against entries in the draft rolls.
ECI Rejects 'Vote Chori' Allegations
Emphasising the distinction between marking a name in the draft roll and deleting it from the final list, the ECI said the objective of SIR was to ensure that every eligible voter was included while removing errors and ineligible entries. It added that the final figures would be known only after the completion of the revision process in the remaining states and Union Territories.
The Commission also rejected allegations that the SIR exercise was being used for “vote chori”, describing the term as part of a misleading narrative. It maintained that voter registration involves field verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), scrutiny by political parties' agents, a claims-and-objections process and provisions for appeals against decisions taken by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
ECI Says Decisions Were Unanimous
On allegations that the Chief Election Commissioner had bypassed the other two Election Commissioners, the ECI said all decisions concerning the exercise had been taken unanimously by the three-member Commission. It added that questions and observations raised during the drafting of decisions were part of the normal administrative and deliberative process and should not automatically be interpreted as dissent.
The ECI further denied allegations of centralisation of electoral roll databases and restrictions on field officers' access to the ECINET platform. It said electoral rolls continued to be maintained by state-level authorities and that ECINET was a digital platform to facilitate officials in carrying out their statutory responsibilities.
ECI Highlights Young Voter Additions
Addressing concerns over the inclusion of young voters, the Commission said approximately 2.37 crore Gen Z voters aged 18 to 28 had been added to electoral rolls since the SIR process began on June 24, 2025. It said eligible citizens could continue to apply for inclusion through Form 6.
Separately, the ECI announced measures to make the revision process more convenient. In cases involving notices over unmapped entries or logical discrepancies, Booth Level Officers would visit voters' homes to collect documents and upload them to ECINET. The Commission also said the claims-and-objections deadline in Maharashtra had been extended to October 12, 2026, with the disposal of notices and objections scheduled to be completed by November 10.
