The Election Commission of India (ECI) began a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar in June 2025 and then extended it to most of the country, removing tens of millions of names. The opposition calls it "vote chori" (vote theft); the ECI says it removed dead, shifted, duplicate and ineligible voters, and the Supreme Court upheld the exercise in May 2026. After a September 2026 report that two election commissioners had objected at least 14 times, protests from 2 October demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign; he has not resigned, and the Supreme Court has issued notice without interim orders.
Key takeaways
- The Election Commission of India began a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar in June 2025, and the final Bihar roll showed a net removal of about 47 lakh names, leaving 7.42 crore electors.
- SIR deletions reported by state include about 2.04 crore names in Uttar Pradesh and about 91 lakh in West Bengal, according to ECI data.
- The Election Commission says the SIR removes dead, shifted, duplicate and ineligible voters, while the opposition calls it "vote chori" (vote theft) and critics say it risks excluding millions of eligible voters.
- On 27 May 2026 the Supreme Court upheld the SIR as within the Election Commission's powers, and it has also held that deletion from the voter roll is not loss of citizenship.
- According to an Indian Express report of September 2026, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded at least 14 objections in 10 months to decisions they said were taken without their knowledge; Commission sources say all decisions were unanimous.
- On 5 October 2026 the Supreme Court issued notice on petitions alleging CEC Gyanesh Kumar acted without his colleagues' approval, but refused to suspend him or pass interim orders.
- Protests demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation began on 2 October 2026, with more than 1,000 people detained in Delhi between 2 and 7 October and about 25 FIRs registered by Delhi Police; Kumar has not resigned.
What the SIR is
Voter rolls in India are normally updated through annual "summary" revisions, where people add, correct or remove their own entries. An "intensive" revision is different: officials rebuild the roll by checking each voter, often asking for documents. When the Supreme Court upheld the SIR, it accepted the ECI's reason that more than four decades had passed since the last intensive revision, a period of urbanisation and migration that raises the risk of duplicate and outdated entries. The Week
Claim · ECI The Commission's stated purpose is to remove duplicate, deceased or ineligible entries and maintain the integrity of the rolls. Al Jazeera The ECI also cited concern that some voters in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who had obtained voter IDs. Wikipedia summary
Claim · critics Critics say the revision demands confusing, hard-to-obtain documents and risks excluding millions of eligible voters. Al Jazeera
Bihar: where it started
Documented The ECI announced the Bihar SIR on 24 June 2025, months before the state's assembly election. PIB
The draft roll removed about 65 lakh names. The Supreme Court asked the ECI to publish the deleted names with reasons, and the ECI said the list went up on district magistrates' websites within 56 hours of the order. The Week/PTI
The final roll showed a net removal of about 47 lakh names, leaving an electorate of 7.42 crore. SabrangIndia
Phase II, Phase III and deletions by state
Documented CEC Gyanesh Kumar announced Phase II on 27 October 2025 for 9 states and 3 Union Territories; it formally began on 4 November 2025. The consolidated rolls of those 12 states and UTs shrank by about 10.2%. Phase III was announced on 14 May 2026 for 16 states and 3 UTs. Wikipedia, citing The Hindu and AIR
Reported deletions in the largest states:
- Uttar Pradesh: about 2.04 crore names. Wikipedia, citing The Hindu
- West Bengal: about 91 lakh names in total, per ECI data. That is 63.66 lakh deleted by 28 February 2026, plus 27.16 lakh of the 60.06 lakh names sent for judicial adjudication. The other 32.68 lakh under adjudication were retained. AIR ThePrint/PTI
- Tamil Nadu: reports conflict, giving either 74 lakh or 97 lakh. Wikipedia
Names removed from rolls, in lakh
Why names were removed. For West Bengal's draft roll (16 December 2025), the ECI gave categories: 24,16,852 dead, 19,88,076 permanently shifted, 12,20,038 absent or untraceable, about 1.38 lakh duplicates and 1,83,328 "ghost" entries, from a total of 58,20,898. The Week/PTI The ECI has not published a separate figure for foreigners or non-citizens. The Reporters' Collective
The "vote chori" campaign
Claim · Rahul Gandhi On 7 August 2025 the Leader of Opposition alleged 1,00,250 "stolen" votes in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bengaluru Central in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He gave five categories: 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 at fake or invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters at single addresses, 4,132 invalid photos and 33,692 cases of Form 6 misuse. The Week/PTI
He followed with the "Voter Adhikar Yatra" through Bihar from 17 August 2025. The Week/PTI On 5 November 2025 he alleged 25 lakh fake entries in Haryana, including a Brazilian model's photo appearing as 22 voters. Scroll No independent check found No independent fact-check of the Mahadevapura or Haryana figures was found.
The BJP called the claims "calculated deceit". Dharmendra Pradhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Devendra Fadnavis also dismissed them. The Week/PTI Claim · Amit Shah At a rally in Sitamarhi on 8 August 2025 he said the RJD and Congress oppose the SIR because "infiltrators are their vote bank", and that the SIR is "absolutely necessary to remove infiltrators from the voters' list". Tribune
Fact-checkers found false material on both sides. Videos shared as "vote chori protests" were actually a 2025 MGNREGA protest and a 2024 BPSC march. Factly A video of "Bangladeshis fleeing after SIR" showed a Kali idol immersion crowd. Rumor Scanner
From 24 September 2026 the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) became a main driver. Claim · Abhijeet Dipke Its founder called the CEC "the country's biggest traitor", claimed 13 crore+ deletions across 30 states and UTs and set a 48-hour ultimatum. Business Today could not verify some of his figures. Business Today
The ECI's position
At an 85-minute press conference on 17 August 2025, CEC Gyanesh Kumar gave Rahul Gandhi seven days to file a signed affidavit. Claim · CEC "Give an affidavit or apologise to the nation. There is no third option," he said. He said the ECI cannot act on such allegations without a sworn affidavit, that being on two lists does not mean someone voted twice, and that more than 3 lakh cases of shared voter ID numbers had been fixed. The Week/PTI
The Chief Electoral Officers of Karnataka and Maharashtra asked Gandhi for the names and a signed declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The Week/PTI The ECI called the Mahadevapura claims "false and misleading". Scroll
On 29 September 2026 the ECI ordered, in writing, a special drive in 20 states and UTs to enrol "left out" voters, compare pre-SIR and post-SIR rolls and drop the disputed Form 6 question. Business Standard Reuters via TimesLive
Elections held after the SIR
Documented In Bihar (November 2025) the NDA won 202 of 243 seats and Congress won 6. Deccan Herald
The Quint found that in 174 Bihar seats the number of deleted voters was larger than the winning margin. It said this does not show deletions changed results, because the data cannot say whether deleted voters would have voted, or for whom. The Quint
In the 2026 assembly elections the BJP won West Bengal (207 seats to the TMC's 80) and Assam (82), TVK won Tamil Nadu (108) and Congress led in Kerala (63). India TV Claim · ISAS, NUS An analysis of West Bengal found deletions were disproportionately high in Muslim-heavy seats and called the SIR "poorly implemented", but concluded it probably did not change the BJP's mandate. ISAS
Results in states revised before polling
What the Supreme Court has ruled
- Bihar, 2025: the Court ordered the ECI to publish deleted names with reasons. The Week/PTI
- 27 May 2026: a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi upheld the SIR as within the ECI's powers and "essential to preserving the integrity of free and fair elections". The Week
- Citizenship: the Court held that deletion from the roll is not loss of citizenship, and told the ECI to send lists of people with doubtful citizenship to the Union government, the competent authority. On 18 July 2026 counsel said about 34 lakh appeals had been filed in West Bengal, and about 70% of the roughly 38,000 decided had restored the voter. The News Minute
- 5 October 2026: on petitions alleging the CEC took decisions alone, a bench of CJI Kant, Justice Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana issued notice to the Union, the ECI, the CEC and both commissioners. It refused to restrain Kumar, refused to order majority-only decisions even for ten days, and said it would not act on media reports alone. LawBeat The Leaflet Khaleej Times reported the Court indicated it could reconsider decisions if it later found they lacked the required unanimity. Khaleej Times
Let's not put the cart before the horse.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi, Supreme Court hearing, 5 Oct 2026 (LawBeat)
The removal notices against the CEC
A CEC can be removed only in the way a Supreme Court judge is removed. If both Houses admit a motion, a three-member committee investigates; if it finds misconduct, a two-thirds vote in Parliament leads to a recommendation to the President. Scroll
- Documented 12 March 2026: notices signed by 63 Rajya Sabha and 130 Lok Sabha MPs, above the thresholds of 50 and 100. AIR
- 6 April 2026: Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla rejected them. No reasons were published. Scroll
- 24 April 2026: a fresh Rajya Sabha notice with 73 signatures and nine charges of "proven misbehaviour", per Jairam Ramesh. Scroll
The dissent notes by two commissioners
The Commission has three members: CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. Section 18 of the 2023 Act says business shall "as far as possible" be transacted unanimously, and otherwise by majority. Act, s.18 The Supreme Court has described the CEC as first among equals (T.N. Seshan v. Union of India, 1995). SC Observer
Claim · Indian Express investigation Around 23 September 2026 the paper reported that Sandhu and Joshi recorded at least 14 objections in 10 months, four of them on a single day, to decisions they said were taken without their knowledge. ThePrint The petitions now in the Supreme Court list the objections, dated 28 October 2025 to 14 August 2026:
- orders and letters issued in the Commission's name without its approval;
- no circulated agendas or minutes for over a year;
- foreign travel without approval;
- a July 2026 change to Form 6, despite a warning that it needed an amendment to the 1960 Rules;
- central control of the electoral-roll database, bypassing Electoral Registration Officers;
- a work-allocation change that removed an oversight layer;
- appeals filed before West Bengal tribunals without the two commissioners knowing who authorised them.
On Form 6, Joshi reportedly recorded in May that it could not be changed through SIR instructions, and Sandhu agreed. A declaration linking new applicants to the SIR was then added online, and in August Sandhu called it "unauthorised and illegal". The Week
Claim · ECI Commission sources said all decisions, including on the SIR, were unanimous and approved by all three members, and that differing views are a normal part of discussion. The Week TNM notes the ECI did not dispute that the 14 notes exist or explain how they fit with unanimity. TNM
Were signatures forged?
No evidence No credible report, petition or fact-check alleges that the CEC signed on behalf of the other two commissioners or that their signatures were forged. The documented allegation is different: orders were issued "in the Commission's name without approval" or without the commissioners' knowledge. LawBeat
The only signature-forgery reports in the SIR story concern Form 7 objections filed in ordinary voters' names, not the commissioners. The Wire
The October 2026 protests, day by day
Report and ultimatum
The Indian Express report on the 14 objections is published. The CJP sets a 48-hour ultimatum for the CEC to resign. The Week Al Jazeera
Mass detentions in Delhi
Section 163 BNSS is in force across New Delhi district, about 5,000 personnel are deployed, 12 metro stations are shut and internet is cut near Jantar Mantar. More than 700 are detained (nearly 1,000 by a later count), including Atishi, Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj. Some protesters try to cross barricades at Firoz Shah Road. DT Next/PTI Deccan Chronicle Three FIRs under BNS 223 name no one. Deccan Chronicle
Second day, journalists' complaints
Nearly 200 are detained, including Neha Bora, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. Three women journalists allege sexual harassment by police; the complaints go to the Crime Branch, and the Press Club of India condemns police action. Kashmir Images
Clashes in Delhi, march in Mumbai
About 110 are briefly detained near Le Meridien and Shangri-La. Per ANI, about 15 police personnel are injured, some women officers bitten; a student says she was dragged by her hair, and police say they used "minimal force". NewsBytes In Mumbai, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray lead a peaceful march of thousands. Al Jazeera
NSUI clash and court hearing
At an NSUI protest on Parliament Street, CISF constable Bikram Kumar is allegedly attacked with a knife while pulling a protester off a barricade, suffering a minor elbow injury. Four FIRs and 18 arrests follow. Siasat/PTI The Supreme Court issues notice but refuses to suspend the CEC.
About 240 MPs march
INDIA bloc MPs, backed by the BJD, march from Parliament toward Nirvachan Sadan. Rahul Gandhi and SP MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq stand on barricades; MPs hold a sit-in of several hours at Akashvani Bhawan and are detained at night. Police say no application was made. ANI
Road sit-in, FIRs against the Gandhis
After a joint lunch, MPs sit on the road near the Shangri-La; 91 are detained. The BJP circulates clips it says show Rahul pushing and Priyanka elbowing women police; PTI says it is "unclear whether the contact was deliberate". At least 3 FIRs name both Gandhis. ThePrint FPJ/PTI
President meeting, rally refused
Ten INDIA bloc leaders meet President Murmu while other MPs march. ANI Delhi Police refuse the CJP permission for a 10 October rally at Jantar Mantar. India TV
Did the protests turn violent?
Mostly no, by the record so far. The pattern was mass detentions under prohibitory orders rather than riots, and no property-damage figures were reported. Khaleej Times/Reuters
The reported incidents are the police injuries at the barricades on 4 October, the alleged knife attack on a CISF constable on 5 October, and the 7 October clips of opposition leaders and police, none of which has been fact-checked. On the other side, protesters allege lathi use and manhandling of women detainees, three women journalists allege sexual harassment by police, and TMC MP Mahua Moitra says the 7 October scuffle left her "bloodied". ThePrint
ANI's sources say the roughly 25 FIRs cover alleged vandalism of public property, assault, scuffles with police and obstruction. ANI
Both accounts
Protesters' and opposition account
The SIR removed millions of genuine voters, and the CEC ran it without his colleagues' approval, as their 14 recorded objections show. Kharge called the ECI "a puppet in the hands of the government". Al Jazeera The opposition says protests were peaceful and police used force on MPs, students and journalists.
ECI, police and government account
The SIR cleans rolls of dead, shifted and duplicate entries, and the Supreme Court upheld it. All decisions were unanimous. The Week Police say gatherings broke Section 163 orders, no permission was sought for 6 October, and protesters assaulted officers. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the opposition wants "anarchy" to "relaunch" Rahul Gandhi, and that Gandhi misquoted the Supreme Court on Form 6. Onmanorama See the government's case in full.
Outcome so far
- The CEC: has not resigned or commented publicly. The Supreme Court refused interim orders on 5 October.
- The ECI: ordered a drive in 20 states and UTs to enrol "left out" voters, compare rolls and revert Form 6.
- Detentions: well over 1,000 across 2-7 October; most were released the same day.
- Cases: about 25 FIRs in Delhi since 2 October, including at least 3 naming Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi; 18 arrests after the NSUI incident.
- Removal notice: the 24 April Rajya Sabha notice has not been admitted.
- Property damage: no figures reported.
What is still pending
- Replies from the Union, the ECI, the CEC and both commissioners to the Supreme Court notice.
- Whether the ECI forwards suspected non-citizen lists to the Union, and the outcome of about 34 lakh West Bengal appeals.
- Investigation of the FIRs against the Gandhis and of the journalists' harassment complaints.
- The CJP's planned 10 October protest, which police have refused to permit. Follow the 10 October page.
Questions people ask
What is SIR in the Election Commission?
SIR stands for Special Intensive Revision, a door-to-door rebuilding of the voter roll in which officials verify each elector. It began in Bihar in June 2025 and was extended in Phase II (Nov 2025) and Phase III (May 2026). The ECI says it removes dead, shifted, duplicate and ineligible voters.
How many names were deleted in the SIR?
About 47 lakh net in Bihar, about 2.04 crore in Uttar Pradesh, about 91 lakh in West Bengal, and 74 or 97 lakh in Tamil Nadu depending on the report. Phase II cut the combined rolls of 12 states and UTs by about 10.2%.
Why do protesters want Gyanesh Kumar to resign?
They say the SIR wrongly removed eligible voters, and they point to an Indian Express report that the other two commissioners recorded at least 14 objections to decisions taken without their knowledge. The ECI says every decision was unanimous.
Did the CEC forge the other commissioners' signatures?
No credible report or petition says so. The documented allegation is that orders were issued in the Commission's name without the other commissioners' approval. That is a different claim from forgery.
Did the Supreme Court strike down the SIR?
No. On 27 May 2026 it upheld the SIR as within the ECI's powers. It has also said deletion is not loss of citizenship. On 5 October 2026 it issued notice on the petitions against the CEC but refused interim orders.
What happened to the impeachment notice against the CEC?
Notices signed by 63 Rajya Sabha and 130 Lok Sabha MPs were rejected by both presiding officers on 6 April 2026 without published reasons. A fresh notice with 73 signatures was filed on 24 April 2026 and has not been admitted.
Sources
- PIB: ECI to begin Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, 24 Jun 2025
- The Week/PTI: Rahul Gandhi alleges vote theft in Mahadevapura, 7 Aug 2025
- Tribune: Opposition opposing SIR to protect infiltrator vote bank, says Shah, 9 Aug 2025
- The Week/PTI: CEC says give affidavit or apologise, 17 Aug 2025
- Factly: Unrelated visuals shared as vote chori protests, 2025
- Scroll: Rahul Gandhi alleges Haryana polls were rigged, 5 Nov 2025
- Rumor Scanner: Bangladeshis leaving after SIR, fake claim, Nov 2025
- Deccan Herald: Congress reviews Bihar rout, Nov 2025
- The Quint: SIR deletions and Bihar margins, Nov 2025
- SabrangIndia: Bihar final list sees 47 lakh names removed, 2025
- The Week/PTI: West Bengal draft rolls, 16 Dec 2025
- AIR: Presiding officers reject notice against CEC, 6 Apr 2026
- ThePrint/PTI: Nearly 91 lakh names deleted in Bengal, 7 Apr 2026
- AIR: ECI removes over 91 lakh names in West Bengal, 2026
- Scroll: Fresh notice to impeach CEC, 24 Apr 2026
- India TV: 2026 assembly results, 5 May 2026
- ISAS (NUS): West Bengal election brief, May 2026
- The Week: Supreme Court upholds SIR, 27 May 2026
- The Reporters' Collective: West Bengal CM and SIR data, 21 Jun 2026
- The News Minute: SC says EC cannot decide citizenship, 18 Jul 2026
- Wikipedia: Special Intensive Revision (citing The Hindu, AIR), accessed Oct 2026
- CEC and Other ECs Act, 2023, Section 18
- SC Observer: Challenge to powers of the CEC
- The Week: ECI denies one-man autocracy allegations, 23 Sept 2026
- ThePrint: Commissioners flagged issues but poll body unanimous, Sept 2026
- Business Today: Dipke demands CEC resign, 24 Sept 2026
- Al Jazeera: Cockroach movement demands election chief's resignation, 25 Sept 2026
- Business Standard: ECI orders special drive in 20 states, 2 Oct 2026
- DT Next/PTI: 700 detained seeking CEC's ouster, 2 Oct 2026
- Deccan Chronicle: 3 FIRs, none named, 3 Oct 2026
- Deccan Chronicle: Nearly 200 detained, 3 Oct 2026
- Reuters via TimesLive: Why protesters want Gyanesh Kumar to resign, 4 Oct 2026
- Al Jazeera: Mass protests for third day, 4 Oct 2026
- Khaleej Times/Reuters: Protests escalate, 4 Oct 2026
- Kashmir Images: Press Club condemns police action, 5 Oct 2026
- NewsBytes: Violent protest in Delhi against CEC, 5 Oct 2026
- Siasat/PTI: 4 FIRs over NSUI protest, 18 held, 5 Oct 2026
- LawBeat: SC issues notice, no interim orders, 5 Oct 2026
- The Leaflet: SC issues notice on pleas to suspend CEC, 5 Oct 2026
- Khaleej Times: SC refuses to suspend election chief, 5 Oct 2026
- Al Jazeera: Opposition leaders briefly arrested, 6 Oct 2026
- ANI: Standoff as INDIA bloc march met with barricades, 6 Oct 2026
- Onmanorama: BJP calls march bid to relaunch Rahul Gandhi, 6 Oct 2026
- FPJ/PTI: Priyanka Gandhi allegedly elbows woman cop, 7 Oct 2026
- ThePrint: 3 FIRs against Rahul, Priyanka, 8 Oct 2026
- ANI: Around 25 FIRs since 2 October, 9 Oct 2026
- ANI: INDIA bloc MPs march to meet President, 9 Oct 2026
- India TV: Police deny CJP permission for 10 October, 9 Oct 2026
- The News Minute: A one-man Election Commission?, 9 Oct 2026
- The Wire: analysis on Form 7 objections, 2026