AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi attacks Election Commission's voter roll revision

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NEW DELHI: As the Election Commission expands its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across multiple states, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has launched a fresh attack on the exercise, alleging that it could be used to create a “permanent class of excluded Indians” and disproportionately affect Muslims, women, migrants and the poor. In a post on X on Wednesday, Owaisi claimed that the Centre was using a document-based voter verification exercise as a precursor to broader mechanisms for identifying, detaining and deporting alleged illegal immigrants. “The right to vote is the poor's only weapon against the powerful. Without it, the government will do what it pleases with them,” the Hyderabad MP said.

Owaisi questions purpose of review committee

Owaisi alleged that a document-driven SIR exercise had earlier resulted in the deletion of nearly 6.5 crore names from electoral rolls across 13 states and Union Territories. He claimed that most of those excluded were Muslims, women, migrants and economically weaker sections. “SIR will be used to create a permanent class of excluded Indians,” Owaisi said, arguing that deletion from electoral rolls does not automatically mean a person is not an Indian citizen. “Under the law, a deletion through SIR does not mean that a person is not a citizen,” he said. The AIMIM leader noted that around 27 lakh cases remain under adjudication and many individuals could still seek enrolment through Form 6. He also questioned why a committee was needed to examine the exclusions when, according to him, the Election Commission had not provided data showing how many names were removed because the individuals were foreigners. “Why do we need this committee, then? So that there can be constant paranoia and fear directed against Muslims,” Owaisi said. He further alleged that the NDA government routinely forces citizens to undergo documentation exercises such as KYC and SIR while failing to efficiently conduct other administrative tasks.

SIR exercise underway in several states

The remarks come as the Election Commission continues Phase 3 of the Special Intensive Revision process in Odisha, Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim. The exercise aims to verify the eligibility of voters based on three constitutional criteria under Article 326, Indian citizenship, minimum age of 18 years and absence of any legal disqualification. Enumeration began on the previous Saturday and will continue until June 28. Eligible voters whose forms are received by that date will be included in draft electoral rolls scheduled for publication on July 5. A claims-and-objections period will run until August 4, with final electoral rolls expected to be published on September 6. The Election Commission has urged all eligible voters to participate and cooperate with officials conducting house-to-house verification.

Supreme Court upheld electoral roll revision

Owaisi's criticism comes weeks after the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission's authority to conduct the SIR exercis. A Bench headed by chief justice Surya Kant ruled that the revision falls within the constitutional powers of the Election Commission under Article 324 and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The court said that “free and fair elections” depend on the “integrity, accuracy and credibility” of electoral rolls and held that the revision exercise was aimed at safeguarding the electoral process. The apex court also clarified that exclusion from electoral rolls does not amount to a declaration that an individual is not an Indian citizen. It stated that if a competent authority later determines that a deleted person is a citizen, their name can be restored to the voter list. The SIR exercise, which began in Bihar before being expanded to other states and Union Territories, remains one of the most politically contested electoral initiatives undertaken by the Election Commission in recent years.

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