India
oi-Ashish Rana
The Congress has raised question over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, while mentioning RTI reply that says there was no formal decision to carry out the process across India in 2025.
Congress questions the Election Commission’s nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, citing an RTI reply where the ECI stated no formal decision was taken for its nationwide conduct in 2025.
Now Congress leader Pawan Khera has raised the issue on social media and questioned who had given the authority to conduct the process nationwide. He asked whether it was “Shehanshah or Amit Shah?”
Khera Cites ECI Reply To RTI
Pawan Khera shared an RTI application filed by activist Anjali Bhardwaj, she had asked Election Commission for copies of documents showing who approved SIR across India.
According to Khera, the matter reached the First Appellate Authority, the Principal Secretary of the Election Commission.
Sharing the response on X, Khera wrote, “Has the SIR been approved to be conducted across the country? As per the ECI: NO”.
He also quoted the Commission’s written response, which said, “The Commission has so far not taken any decision on initiating a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across the country in 2025”.
‘There Is No Order’, Says Congress Leader
Khera then questioned how the nationwide SIR was being carried out if there was no such approval or order from the Election Commission.
“There is no order. At least, according to the ECI, no such decision had been taken – and therefore no such record existed”, he said.
❓Has the SIR been approved to be conducted across the country?
❌As per the ECI: NO❌
On July 28, 2025, RTI activist @AnjaliB_ sought copies of the files through which the ECI had approved the decision to initiate SIR across the country.
The matter went all the way to the… https://t.co/n2Rd6sh0hx
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 ಪವನ್ ಖೇರಾ (@Pawankhera) September 26, 2026
The issue comes amid a wider political dispute over the revision of electoral rolls and the Election Commission’s handling of the process.
SIR Rolled Out In Three Phases
The Election Commission began the SIR exercise with Bihar. The second phase was extended to nine states and three Union Territories, while the third phase included the remaining 16 states and three Union Territories.
The exercise has led to large changes in voter lists, with millions of names removed and millions of others added.
The SIR has also faced political criticism. A recent investigation by The Indian Express reported that two Election Commissioners had raised objections on several occasions to decisions taken in their names.
The latest Congress allegations add to the questions surrounding how the nationwide electoral roll revision was approved and implemented.
