Issues With The ECI's Special Intensive Revision

Gist The Election Commission of India ECI recently implemented a Special Intensive Revision SIR to "purify" electoral rolls, resulting in the mass deletion of over 13 crore names at the draft stage. This exercise shifts the burden of proving eligibility onto the voter and relies heavily on centralized algorithms, reversing the ECI's historical commitment to proactive voter inclusion. Aspirants must understand this development as it fundamentally alters the application of universal adult franchise and raises constitutional questions regarding statutory overreach and algorithmic disenfranchisement. Background Since the first general election in 1951-52 , the ECI has operated on a mandate of proactive inclusion, treating universal adult franchise as a duty to fulfill rather than a passive right. Under the ECI's Manual on Electoral Rolls 2023 , an intensive revision is defined as a de novo process where enumerators conduct door-to-door visits, granting "probative value" to a voter's presence on the previous roll. Statutorily, the power to determine voter eligibility rests with local Electoral Registration Officers . Prior to the SIR, a voter's name was presumed valid, and the onus of proving…