As the Election Commission of India (ECI) rolled out the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on Thursday (May 14, 2026), civil society activists, including former Election Commissioners, questioned the impartiality of the exercise, alleging that it was weakening democracy.
“In Bengal, people who have been left out [of electoral rolls] have passports and birth certificates. But the Supreme Court says don’t vote this time, you can vote next time,” transparency rights activist Anjali Bharadwaj said at a discussion on ‘SIR—Elections—One Nation, One Election’ on Thursday (May 14, 2026).
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The event was organised by the Constitutional Conduct Group and the Group on Federalism and Elections.
‘Vote dacoity’
