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Polity & Governance
Mahesh

11/08/25 19:13 PM IST

The ECI’s lack of transparency is worrying

In News 
  • Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the commencement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls of Bihar, entailing the verification of nearly 8 crore voters. 
Concerns 
  • The names of 65 lakh voters have been deleted in Bihar’s draft voter list published after the first phase of the SIR — an average deletion of about 27,000 voters per constituency.
  • In a State where most seats are won by a slender margin, this number exceeds the winning margin in two-thirds of seats in the 2020 elections.
  • This scale of deletions could potentially swing the electoral outcome in most Assembly constituencies.
  • As per the ECI, 22 lakh voters were found to be dead, 36 lakh had permanently shifted from Bihar or were not found, and 7 lakh were enrolled in multiple places.
  • If names are being deleted on this scale, they must be made public to enable meaningful oversight and safeguard electoral integrity.
  • Unfortunately, the ECI has failed to provide the full list of deleted names along with the reasons.
  • In its press release, the ECI has claimed that booth-level lists of deletions have been shared with political parties, but these do not indicate the reasons for deletion.
  • This resistance to disclosure makes it impossible for parties and people to verify whether the deletions are justified or if eligible voters have been disenfranchised.
  • Lack of relevant granular data is a cause for alarm in a context where deletion of names — often disproportionately affecting marginalised communities — can directly impact electoral outcomes and erode trust in the system.
Reasons for conducting SIR 
  • Undertaking an SIR across the country is not a routine administrative decision.
  • People have a right to know what triggered the ECI to suddenly undertake this mammoth exercise involving nearly 100 crore voters of the country.
  • Was there evidence of large-scale discrepancies or grave inaccuracies in the electoral rolls that could undermine the integrity of elections?
  • What were the factors that prompted the ECI to begin the country-wide SIR from poll-bound Bihar in such a tearing hurry, during monsoons when many parts are flooded?
Risks of opaqueness
  • The significance of ensuring transparency in the SIR of voter lists cannot be overstated, since failing to prove one’s citizenship could result in repercussions far graver than the mere loss of voting rights.
  • Election officers have wide powers, including referring cases of suspected foreign nationals to competent authorities under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
  • Lack of transparency in the SIR process in Bihar has real and potentially grave implications for electoral democracy.
  • Such disenfranchisement not only undermines the legitimacy of elections but also weakens faith in institutions that are meant to safeguard the democratic process.
Source- The Hindu 

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