A recent Lokniti-CSDS survey has highlighted a sharp erosion of public trust in the Election Commission of India (ECI), warning that the body’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, while appearing reasonable for better-off citizens, imposes mandatory document requirements that are “daunting and exclusionary” for poorer and marginalised groups, risking their disenfranchisement.
The study, titled “How document deficits may risk disenfranchising the poor, eroding trust in the Election Commission” and featured in The Hindu, noted that requirements for identity and residence documents may seem reasonable to relatively well-off citizens, but “as one moves down the social ladder, this requirement becomes daunting and exclusionary.”
Findings show that economic status, caste, and regional disparities combine to create serious barriers in the SIR of electoral rolls. While Aadhaar coverage is nearly universal, nine in ten respondents from the general category possess a PAN card, compared with just over half among Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Passports are rare across all groups, with only about 20 percent of the general category, and just 5 percent and 4 percent of SCs and STs, respectively, owning one.
Birth certificate ownership is especially low, with fewer than half of any caste group having one, and SCs showing the lowest coverage at around one in four. Across households, only about one in ten poor households reported that every adult member had a birth certificate. Economic status widens the gap further, with nearly half of the rich possessing passports compared with just one in twenty among the poor. The survey notes that generational disadvantages, including limited access to formal education, contribute to these disparities.
Regional differences are also pronounced. In Uttar Pradesh, nearly three in five respondents lacked required documents, followed by Delhi, where more than one in four faced similar issues. Sixty-one percent of respondents in Madhya Pradesh, 58 percent in Uttar Pradesh, and 51 percent in West Bengal reported missing at least one required document, compared with only 18 percent in Kerala. Vulnerable groups such as the illiterate (42 percent), elderly (41 percent), poor (39 percent), and rural residents (32 percent) were most at risk of exclusion if birth certificates were made compulsory for voter roll revision.
Public perceptions indicate strong concern about wrongful exclusion. Close to 45 percent of respondents believe genuine voters may be removed during SIR verification, while only a quarter think this will not happen.
The survey also recorded an unprecedented decline in trust in the Election Commission. Just over one-fourth of respondents said they were “very confident” that all eligible voters would be retained on the rolls, one-sixth expressed “not much” confidence, and nearly one in ten reported having no confidence at all. Trust levels have plummeted in key states: in Uttar Pradesh, high trust fell from 56 percent in 2019 to 31 percent in 2025; in West Bengal, from 68 percent to 41 percent; with similar declines in Assam, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh. The Hindu described the erosion as “unprecedented,” warning it could undermine the credibility of the electoral process itself.
The Lokniti-CSDS survey emphasised that the verification process unfairly shifts the onus onto citizens to produce documents, while access to these documents is the government’s responsibility. The consequences extend beyond removal from electoral rolls, placing less privileged members of society at risk of being considered “doubtful citizens.” The study warned that such exclusion could erode the ECI’s legitimacy, a serious concern given that credibility is central to elections being viewed as free and fair.
Political activist Yogendra Yadav, reacting to the survey on X, noted the “sharp fall in the level of public trust in the EC” and linked it to the performance of the Chief Election Commissioner, stating, “Now you know why.” Author Saba Naqvi urged readers to consider why trust in the EC has eroded, stressing that public institutions must remain open to scrutiny, unlike totalitarian regimes, where questions are discouraged.
Calling the findings “alarming,” NCP spokesperson Anish Gawande said the survey showing an “unprecedented” loss of trust in the ECI should concern everyone, as “people are losing faith in one of India’s most sacred institutions.” The ECI has already faced scrutiny following allegations by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding electoral irregularities, including claims of “vote chori” (vote theft) and voter list manipulation.