Cong calls SIR ‘Shah Instigated Removal’, alleges large-scale voter deletions

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday accused the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls of leading to widespread voter deletions, describing the exercise as a threat to constitutional rights. The party termed the process “Shah Instigated Removal” of voters, in an apparent reference to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that nearly one in three voters covered under the third phase of the revision had either been removed from the electoral rolls or faced the possibility of deletion, The New Indian Express reported.

According to figures cited by Ramesh, 6.18 crore of the 36.06 crore voters covered across 12 states and two Union Territories had been deleted. He said another 5.43 crore voters had received notices seeking additional documents to retain their names on the rolls.

Ramesh said the deletion rate stood at more than 17 per cent, while those facing a potential deletion accounted for an additional 15 per cent. He estimated that the combined proportion of affected voters was around 32 per cent.

He further claimed that the first two phases of the SIR exercise had resulted in the removal of 7.8 crore names, representing 13 per cent of the electoral rolls before the revision. The third phase, he said, began in 16 states and three Union Territories in mid-2026.

The Congress leader cited state-wise figures showing that the combined share of deleted voters and those at risk of deletion stood at 53.73 per cent in Delhi, 52.58 per cent in Chandigarh and 48.90 per cent in Telangana. The corresponding figures were 39.57 per cent in Jharkhand, 37.5 per cent in Haryana, 35.71 per cent in Uttarakhand, 35.36 per cent in Meghalaya and 33.88 per cent in Maharashtra.

Ramesh also cited figures for Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, where the combined proportions stood at 27.6 per cent, 23.67 per cent, 21.17 per cent and 15.23 per cent, respectively.

He alleged that the revision was disproportionately affecting economically and socially disadvantaged communities and claimed that women had been removed from electoral rolls in greater numbers than men in most major states.

Ramesh criticised the Election Commission for not publishing lists of voters facing possible deletion across all states. He pointed out that Delhi released its list on September 19 following public pressure.

According to the Congress leader, the high proportion of affected voters indicated structural shortcomings in the SIR process. He argued that the exercise placed the responsibility of proving eligibility on citizens by requiring documents that many people might never have received from government authorities.

Ramesh further alleged that the documentation requirements could exclude large sections of the population who were unable to meet them. He characterised the revision as a process that could prevent eligible citizens from retaining their names on the electoral rolls.

Describing the exercise as an attack on constitutional principles, Ramesh reiterated the Congress’s allegation that the SIR represented a politically driven effort to remove voters, using the phrase “Shah Instigated Removal” in reference to Amit Shah.