Former Election Chief Slams Mass Voter Deletions Across India

Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi condemned the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the mass removal of voters during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Quraishi alleged the process wiped out approximately 15 percent of India's population, affecting between 130 million and 140 million people. He characterized the drive as a scam and argued that the removal of eligible voters is unconstitutional and illegal, calling for criminal liability for those responsible.

Announced in October 2025 by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to remove duplicates and foreign nationals, the SIR has triggered widespread controversy. In Delhi, the electorate dropped from 15.6 million in January 2025 to 9.75 million, with 1.1 million names deleted even before the SIR began. In Maharashtra, draft lists showed a reduction of two crore voters, leading Congress leader Pawan Khera to accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stealing votes in real time.

Regional irregularities have further fueled tensions. In Jharkhand, the state electorate fell by over 43.61 lakh names, and an inquiry was launched in Godda district after a BJP agent was arrested for submitting bulk deletion forms. Meanwhile, the ECI reported a more controlled process in Sikkim, where over 52,000 names were removed to eliminate ghost entries. Quraishi criticized the ECI's reliance on the 2002 Electoral Roll as a benchmark, asserting that the older list contains errors and should not be used for such a massive exercise.