What Happened
- Data from the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls (2025-26) shows that in most Indian states, more women than men were deleted from voter rolls — a trend that raises concerns about the inclusivity and accuracy of the revision exercise.
- Tamil Nadu was the only major state where the gender ratio among registered voters improved slightly after the SIR, even though the state recorded one of the largest absolute reductions in total electors.
- The nationwide SIR process, announced on October 27, 2025, covered over 51 crore voters across multiple states and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026. The revision was conducted ahead of upcoming assembly elections.
- The deletion of greater numbers of women from rolls has been attributed to migration (women moving to husbands' constituencies after marriage), unreported deaths, and the verification process not adequately capturing women's changed addresses.
- Civil society organisations and opposition parties have raised concerns that the mass deletions — particularly in West Bengal, where approximately 63 lakh names were deleted in the final list — may disenfranchise legitimate voters, with women being disproportionately affected.
- The Supreme Court is separately monitoring the West Bengal SIR deletions, having set up appellate judicial tribunals to hear appeals from those whose names were removed (see related article).
Static Topic Bridges
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls — Process and Legal Basis
The Special Intensive Revision is an extraordinary exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to thoroughly verify, update, and cleanse electoral rolls beyond the routine annual revisions. It is distinct from the regular Summary Revision and is typically ordered ahead of major elections or when significant demographic changes require comprehensive updating.
The legal basis for electoral roll revisions is provided by the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Sections 15-21) and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The ECI derives its supervisory authority over electoral rolls from Article 324 of the Constitution, which vests in it the superintendence, direction, and control of elections.
- The 2025 SIR was announced by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 27, 2025, covering over 51 crore voters across 12+ states and UTs.
- Process: Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) conduct door-to-door verification; draft rolls are published; a claims and objections period follows; names can be added (Form 6), corrected (Form 8), or deleted; final rolls are published after adjudication.
- Reasons for deletion: migration, death (unreported), duplication, ineligibility (non-citizen), or inability to verify residence.
- In West Bengal's final voter list (February 28, 2026): ~63 lakh names deleted, ~60 lakh names under adjudication.
Connection to this news: The SIR process, while necessary for roll accuracy, has a differential impact by gender — women are more susceptible to deletion due to address changes at marriage and migration patterns, raising systemic equity questions about how the verification methodology accounts for women's mobility.
Women's Representation and Electoral Participation in India
Universal adult suffrage — the right of every citizen above 18 to vote without discrimination — is guaranteed under Article 326 of the Constitution. The principle of equal political participation is foundational to India's democracy, and the ECI is constitutionally mandated to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded from the rolls.
- India's voter sex ratio has historically lagged behind the general population sex ratio, though the ECI has made efforts to close the gap through targeted registration drives (e.g., "She is Voter" campaigns).
- As of the 2024 general elections, the voter sex ratio in India was approximately 948 women per 1,000 men — close to parity but with significant state-level variation.
- Disproportionate deletion of women's names from rolls can suppress women's political participation, particularly in states where women's voter turnout has been rising (e.g., Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha).
- The National Voters' Day (January 25) campaign specifically focuses on enrolling marginalised and women voters.
Connection to this news: If the SIR has systematically deleted more women than men without proportionate cause, it risks reversing hard-won gains in women's electoral participation — a concern that needs to be addressed through gender-disaggregated monitoring of all future roll revisions.
ECI's Constitutional and Statutory Framework — Article 324 and Representation of the People Act
The Election Commission of India functions as an independent constitutional body under Article 324. Its powers over electoral rolls are both vast and exclusive — no court can interfere with the conduct of elections once the process has begun (Article 329).
- Article 324: Vests superintendence, direction, and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of all elections in the ECI.
- Article 326: Universal adult suffrage — the right to vote is a constitutional right for all citizens above 18.
- Representation of the People Act, 1950: Governs the preparation and revision of electoral rolls; Section 16 specifies disqualifications for registration (non-citizen, unsound mind, corrupt practices).
- Article 329(b): Bars courts from questioning the validity of any law relating to delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats once elections have begun — but pre-election challenges to voter roll quality are permissible.
- The Supreme Court's intervention in the West Bengal SIR through the appointment of appellate tribunals reflects its supervisory jurisdiction under Article 32 and 142.
Connection to this news: The data on gender-differential deletions calls for ECI to introduce mandatory gender-disaggregated reporting in all SIR reports and to adopt special safeguards — such as automatic address-linking for women married/migrated — in the roll revision methodology.
Key Facts & Data
- SIR announced: October 27, 2025, by CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
- Scope: 51+ crore voters across 12+ states and UTs.
- Final voter list publication: February 7, 2026.
- West Bengal deletions: ~63 lakh names deleted in final list; ~60 lakh under adjudication as of early March 2026.
- Tamil Nadu: Only major state where gender ratio among voters improved slightly, despite recording one of the largest total elector reductions.
- Most states: More women than men deleted from electoral rolls post-SIR.
- Primary causes of women's deletion: Marriage-related migration (address change not updated), unreported deaths, difficulty verifying residence of women in purdah or less mobile contexts.
- Legal basis: Representation of the People Act, 1950; Registration of Electors Rules, 1960; Article 324.
- India voter sex ratio (2024 elections): ~948 women per 1,000 men.
- SC intervention (March 10, 2026): Set up judicial appellate tribunals (headed by former HC judges) to hear West Bengal SIR deletion appeals.
- ECI appeals mechanism: Form 7 (objection to inclusion), Form 6 (application for inclusion) available during claims period.