Obstacle race: On Special Intensive Revision exercise

Published 2026-10-06 · Updated 2026-10-06 · 3 min · 513 words

UPSC CSE Context

Why in News

Protests erupted on Gandhi Jayanti demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise that allegedly disenfranchised lakhs of voters.

Syllabus Connection

Polity and Governance: Election Commission, electoral rolls, universal adult franchise, constitutional bodies.

Exam Relevance

Important for UPSC CSE Mains GS Paper 2 on functioning of constitutional bodies and electoral reforms; Prelims may test facts about ECI and SIR.

Core Issue

SIR exercise allegedly disenfranchises voters through flawed deletion process.

Key Development

Nearly 13.4 crore electors removed from draft rolls across 30 States/UTs, with deletion rates rising each phase.

Stakeholders

• Election Commission of India
• Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
• Opposition parties
• Student groups
• Citizens
• BJP-led Union and State governments
• Supreme Court

Static Knowledge

High-Value Background

• Article 324 vests superintendence, direction and control of elections in the Election Commission.
• Universal adult franchise under Article 326 is a basic feature of the Constitution.

Exam Linkage

• Useful for questions on electoral integrity, role of ECI, and judicial review of administrative actions.

Concepts in Context

• Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a targeted electoral roll revision exercise.
• Logical discrepancies refer to mismatches in voter data used to flag electors for deletion.

Institutions and Mechanisms

• Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are grassroots officials responsible for electoral roll verification.

Dynamic Analysis

Constitutional/Legal

• Alteration of Form 6 without rule amendment violates statutory procedure and may be ultra vires.
• Mass deletions without individual notice may violate principles of natural justice.

Governance

• Centralised roll database enables bulk deletions, reducing local accountability.
• ECI's internal dissent indicates procedural irregularities and lack of consensus.
• Restoration of deleted voters by BLOs is an implicit admission of flawed process.

Federalism

• Extension of SIR from States to UTs centralises electoral roll management.
• State governments' role in electoral roll preparation is bypassed, affecting cooperative federalism.
• Uniform application of SIR ignores regional demographic variations and local contexts.

Society

• Disproportionate impact on marginalised groups who may lack documentation to prove eligibility.
• Protests and internet shutdowns reflect erosion of public trust in electoral institutions.
• Fear of disenfranchisement may deter voter participation, weakening democratic legitimacy.

Prelims Takeaways

• SIR deletion rates: 8.3% in Bihar, 12.9% in Phase 2, 17% in Phase 3.
• Form 6 is used for inclusion of names in electoral rolls.

Mains Value Addition

Arguments

• The SIR undermines the principle of universal adult franchise by placing undue burden on voters.
• Procedural irregularities in Form 6 amendment erode rule of law and institutional credibility.
• ECI's internal dissent highlights need for transparent decision-making in electoral matters.
• Judicial deference to ECI may weaken checks and balances on electoral administration.

Examples

• West Bengal: 16.1 lakh deletion requests filed against electors already cleared by judicial officers.

Counterpoints

• ECI claims deleted electors can re-enroll during claims phase.
• SIR aims to clean electoral rolls by removing duplicate or ineligible voters.

Way Forward

• ECI should suspend SIR and conduct independent audit of deletions.
• Restore all deleted voters without requiring fresh applications.
• Amend rules to ensure due process before any deletion.
• Enhance transparency by publishing deletion criteria and data.
• Strengthen internal dissent mechanisms within ECI.

Primary/reference source: thehindu.com