Congress Accuses Election Commission of ‘Voter Theft’ Ahead of SIR Phase 2

NEW DELHI: A fresh political row erupted on Monday after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, covering 12 states and Union Territories. The Congress party and DMK accused the poll body of acting in coordination with the Modi government to “steal votes” ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in several key states.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Congress alleged that the SIR was a “vote chori (voter theft)” campaign, claiming that the previous phase in Bihar saw 69 lakh voter names deleted without transparency. “The Election Commission is now playing the same game in 12 states. Under the SIR, 69 lakh votes were cut in Bihar, and now crores will be deleted nationwide. This is open voter theft being carried out jointly by Narendra Modi and the Election Commission,” the post read.

The allegations came shortly after Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar announced the SIR’s rollout across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and other regions. Kumar said the Bihar SIR concluded with “zero appeals,” asserting that the process was transparent and constitutional.

Congress Raises Legal and Ethical Objections

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari expressed strong objections, saying the SIR exercise should be suspended as long as the matter remains sub judice before the Supreme Court.
“When the issue of voter roll revision is pending in court, why is the Election Commission rushing to implement a nationwide SIR?” he questioned.

Tiwari further alleged that the ECI had failed to disclose data related to illegal migrants, a subject he claimed was politically weaponised by the BJP during the Bihar exercise. “Why hasn’t the Commission shared those details? And why was Assam excluded from this so-called nationwide revision?” he asked.
Tiwari called the decision “a complete failure of Modi and Shah’s claims,” adding that no illegal migrants were found despite the government’s repeated assertions.

Bihar SIR ‘Exposed the Bias’, Says Pawan Khera

AICC media and publicity chairman Pawan Khera accused the Election Commission of bias, saying the Bihar exercise “revealed the intent of both the ECI and BJP.”
“The Bihar SIR raised serious doubts about the neutrality of the Election Commission. Even the Supreme Court had to intervene. Now, extending the same exercise to 12 more states is deeply suspicious,” he said.

Khera referred to Rahul Gandhi’s earlier allegation of voter-list tampering in the Aland assembly segment, where an SIT probe reportedly found evidence of “a coordinated operation to delete names from electoral rolls.”
“In such circumstances, this expansion looks less like a technical exercise and more like political engineering. Neither the Opposition nor the voters are convinced,” he added.

ECI Defends Its Move, Calls It Routine

The Election Commission, however, maintains that the SIR is part of its routine, nationwide voter roll verification process, conducted periodically to ensure accuracy and remove duplicates.
Officials said the Bihar phase concluded “smoothly and without a single formal objection.”
The poll body emphasised that all revisions were carried out under Article 326 of the Constitution, and the aim was to ensure fair and updated voter rolls before the 2026 elections.

DMK Chief MK Stalin Joins Chorus, Calls SIR a ‘Conspiracy’

In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin strongly criticised the Election Commission, calling the SIR “an attempt to rob citizens of their democratic rights.”
“To conduct SIR just months before elections, and during the monsoon, creates unnecessary hardship. This hasty, opaque process is a clear conspiracy to help the BJP,” Stalin said in a post on X.

Stalin claimed that during the Bihar SIR, “a large number of women, minorities, and members of SC/ST communities” were removed from electoral lists — raising what he termed a “serious trust deficit” among citizens.
He has called for an all-party meeting on November 2 to discuss the next steps and devise a unified response.
“The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. Tamil Nadu will fight any attempt to murder it — and Tamil Nadu will win,” Stalin declared.

Kerala Says Ready for SIR, Takes Steps to Avoid Logistical Issues

In contrast, Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar said the state was fully prepared to implement the SIR smoothly.
Speaking to The Hindu, Kelkar said meetings with political parties and overseas electors had already been scheduled, ensuring transparency in the process.

“Of Kerala’s 2.78 crore voters, 55% are present in the base list of 2002. This makes the task more straightforward,” he noted, adding that special provisions are being made for NRIs to facilitate easy enrolment despite locked homes.
Kelkar also assured that steps were being taken to avoid overlap between the SIR and the 2025 local body elections. “We’re appointing two additional Electoral Registration Officers per Assembly constituency to handle dual responsibilities,” he said.

Kerala currently has 24,468 polling stations, and the final voter rolls are expected to be published by February 7, 2026.

The Bigger Picture

With the second phase of the SIR set to begin across 12 states and UTs, the political divide around the exercise is deepening.
While the Election Commission insists the process is a standard voter verification exercise, Opposition parties view it as a politically motivated operation aimed at reshaping the electoral landscape ahead of the crucial 2026 polls.

As the debate intensifies, all eyes are now on how the ECI ensures transparency and confidence in the process that touches the very foundation of India’s democracy — the right to vote.