India election body orders review of voter-roll software amid exclusion allegations
Rule Changes
The Election Commission opened a route back to the rolls for excluded voters in Delhi and six states, but not where the revision has finished. Delhi's election office agreed to restore old voter numbers.
The Election Commission said on November 6 that voters marked absent, shifted, dead or duplicate in Delhi and six states can return to the rolls using the enumeration form from the Special Intensive Revision instead of Form 6, the application for new voters. The relief covers Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland, where the revision is still running. It does not apply in states where the first two phases of the revision have finished.
In Delhi, the draft roll left out about 4.75 million voters, and the city received 300,431 Form 6 applications between August 31 and November 9. On November 9 the Delhi chief electoral officer agreed to restore deleted voters with their old serial and voter-card numbers. The Bombay High Court ordered Goa to restore six names within 10 days.
Why it matters
If India's voter rolls are excluding eligible voters, the legitimacy of elections in the world's largest democracy is at stake.
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Key Indicators
14
Times election commissioners raised concerns in 10 months
The Indian Express reported the two election commissioners questioned changes to voter rolls at least 14 times.
130M
Names removed from draft voter lists
The BBC reports more than 130 million names removed from draft voter lists nationwide since the revision began in June 2025.
9.93M
Names struck off in Karnataka
Karnataka's final roll under the special revision was published with over 99.32 lakh names removed, The Hindu reported.
20
States and union territories where the special revision completed
The SIR process is complete in 20 states and union territories, including Bihar and West Bengal.
97
Voters left off rolls in Goa
The Indian Express reported centralization of the roll database disenfranchised 97 potential voters in Goa.
14.6%
Of voters removed in 31 states and union territories
The Scroll reports 13.8 crore voters removed from 31 states and union territories, 14.6% of India's 94.7 crore voters before the exercise began in 2025.
4.75M
Voters left off Delhi's draft roll
Delhi's draft roll, published on August 31, excluded about 47.5 lakh electors marked absent, shifted, dead or duplicate.
300,431
Form 6 applications in Delhi
Applications for fresh enrolment received between August 31 and November 9, Delhi election data showed.
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November 2026
Delhi Form 6 applications cross 300,000 after draft roll exclusions
LatestMeasurement
Delhi received 300,431 Form 6 applications between August 31 and November 9, after the draft roll left out about 4.75 million voters.
Delhi election office agrees to restore old voter numbers
Institutional Action
Delhi's chief electoral officer accepted a proposal to restore deleted voters with their original serial and voter-card numbers. The office said a standard operating procedure would follow.
Commission lets excluded voters in Delhi and six states return without Form 6
Institutional Action
The Election Commission said voters marked absent, shifted, dead or duplicate in Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland can submit the special revision enumeration form and a short signed statement. The route does not apply in states where the first two phases of the revision have ended.
Bombay High Court orders Goa to restore six deleted voters
Legal
The high court ordered the Santa Cruz electoral registration officer to restore six family members within 10 days. It rejected the commission's position that Form 8 could not be processed while the electoral roll database was frozen during the special revision.
Two poll officials suspended over Pilibhit roll irregularities
Institutional Action
Two poll officials were suspended and police complaints ordered over irregularities in the voter roll in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, Scroll reported.
October 2026
INDIA bloc holds symbolic impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Political
The opposition alliance adopted a motion by show of hands levelling six charges against Kumar, including conspiring with the ruling BJP and deleting 13.2 crore voters.
Commission extends claims deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra
Institutional Action
The Election Commission extended the claims deadline in Delhi and Maharashtra and lengthened the processing period in four states.
Human Rights Watch calls voter-roll exclusions 'deeply flawed'
Report
The rights group said the revision was arbitrary and opaque and fell hardest on women, poor people, religious minorities and transgender people. It said nearly 4.7 million names were deleted in Bihar.
Supreme Court defers hearing on pleas against Kumar
Legal
The court deferred the hearing on petitions against Kumar and the commission's SIR decisions and gave petitioners 10 days to respond to the commission's affidavit.
Commission tells Supreme Court SIR orders were unanimous
Legal
In a 248-page counter-affidavit, the commission said its June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026 SIR orders were unanimous and that Form 6 was not amended. It asked the court to dismiss the petitions as based on one news report.
Supreme Court refuses to extend Maharashtra claims deadline
Legal
The court declined to extend the deadline for claims and objections in Maharashtra's special revision, and issued notice to the commission on a petition alleging about 33% of voters were removed. The next hearing is November 5.
Commission splits online Form 6 from SIR declaration
Institutional Action
From October 21, the online application displays Form 6 and the SIR declaration separately, matching the physical forms. The commission acknowledged the earlier display could look like an amendment.
Supreme Court issues notice on Rahul Gandhi's voter-deletion plea
Legal
Economic Times reported the Supreme Court issued notice to the Election Commission on Rahul Gandhi's plea alleging SIR irregularities and voter deletions. This follows the October 13 report that the plea had not been listed.
Commission orders separate roll revision in 17 states and territories
Institutional Action
The Election Commission directed 17 states and union territories to carry out a Special Summary Revision with January 1, 2027 as the qualifying date and final rolls due January 4, 2027.
Opposition petition not listed in Supreme Court due to registry defects
Legal
The Supreme Court did not list Rahul Gandhi's petition over SIR voter deletions because 14 defects, including missing signatures and a Rs 220 court fee shortfall, were not cured.
Supreme Court issues notice on PIL against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Legal
The court issued notice to the Centre, ECI and Kumar on a petition alleging he acted unilaterally on SIR decisions. The bench tagged it with another petition challenging the CEC's functioning.
Opposition leaders file Supreme Court petition on SIR voter deletions
Legal
Rahul Gandhi and 10 INDIA bloc leaders filed a petition seeking an independent audit of voter deletions, suspension of SIR, and full disclosure of files and minutes related to the revision.
Fresh protests in New Delhi over voter roll changes
Political
Al Jazeera reported fresh protests in New Delhi as opposition and civil society groups gathered against the SIR exercise.
Kerala assembly seeks CEC's removal
Political
The Kerala assembly passed a resolution seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Nationwide protests; police detain opposition leaders in Delhi
Political
Police detained opposition leaders in Delhi as INDIA bloc MPs marched to the Election Commission's headquarters demanding the roll revision be scrapped and CEC Gyanesh Kumar removed. NPR reported nationwide protests over the voter-list changes.
EC directs booth-level officers to reinstate eligible voters
Institutional Action
The Election Commission ordered booth-level officers in states where the special revision is complete to compare pre-revision and post-revision rolls, conduct house-to-house surveys, and reinstate eligible voters through Form 6.
September 2026
Tribunal judges flag ECINET portal problems in West Bengal
Institutional Action
The Indian Express reported that judges heading West Bengal tribunals hearing voter-roll appeals said the ECINET portal lacks mechanisms for serving notices and holding virtual hearings, delaying case disposal.
Supreme Court issues notice on petition seeking CEC's removal
Legal
The court issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission on a petition accusing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of acting unilaterally. The bench said it would annul any decision not taken unanimously or by majority, but declined to suspend Kumar.
Supreme Court says it did not approve modified Form 6
Legal
The court said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6, the voter registration form, and will examine Election Commission records to determine whether and how the form was changed.
ECI orders ECINET review, eases voter burden
Institutional Action
The commission forms a review committee, extends Delhi and Maharashtra deadlines, and shifts notice hearings from government offices to voter homes.
June 2025
ECI issues Special Intensive Revision order
Policy
The commission orders a nationwide verification drive covering all states and union territories, beginning with Bihar and followed by West Bengal.
The committee, headed by a senior deputy election commissioner with an independent IIT or IIIT expert, submits a report finding ECINET complies with the Representation of the People Act and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The commission would adopt the report and continue the SIR, arguing it has already made upgrades based on state feedback. The Supreme Court challenge would proceed separately.
2
Supreme Court orders overhaul of India's voter-roll process
Possible
Resolves by Sep 26, 2027
Discussed by: Opposition parties and The Indian Express investigation
The Supreme Court, hearing challenges to the SIR and the Form 6 declaration, rules that the process or the declaration violates electoral law, ordering changes to how rolls are verified or how applications are filed. This could force a redesign of ECINET or require reopening previously processed SIR cases, including the contested roll changes in Goa.
3
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigns
Unlikely
Resolves by End of 2026
Discussed by: Opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party
Pressure from the internal dissent report, opposition demands and nationwide protests forces Kumar to step down as Chief Election Commissioner, or the government removes him. The ECINET review and Supreme Court case would continue under new leadership. The Cockroach Janta Party backed the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally demanding his resignation.
4
Supreme Court annuls specific Election Commission decisions
Possible
Resolves by End of 2026
Discussed by: Supreme Court bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana
The court said it would annul any commission decision not taken unanimously or by majority. It will examine records to determine which decisions, if any, were taken unilaterally by CEC Gyanesh Kumar, and could injunct those decisions as ultra vires.
5
Delhi's final roll restores most excluded voters
Possible
Resolves by Dec 22, 2026
Discussed by: Delhi Chief Electoral Officer and political parties
Delhi's draft roll left out about 4.75 million voters. The election office plans fresh enumeration forms for them and has agreed to restore old serial and voter-card numbers. The final roll is due December 22.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 2
2003-2006
Diebold voting machine controversy (2003-2006)
US election officials adopted touch-screen voting machines from Diebold and other firms, most without paper trails. Journalist Bev Harris documented flaws in her 2004 book Black Box Voting, and Princeton researchers demonstrated in 2006 that a computer virus could alter votes on a Diebold machine within minutes.
Then
States and vendors added paper trails; some jurisdictions reverted to paper ballots.
Now
Led to widespread voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) requirements and independent testing standards for election software.
Why this matters now
Shows how doubts about election software, even without proven fraud, can force audits and redesigns of voting systems.
2 of 2
2017-2019
Georgia voter roll purges (2017-2019)
After a 2017 'exact match' law, Georgia removed hundreds of thousands of voters from rolls for inactivity and mismatched records. Secretary of State Brian Kemp oversaw the rolls while running for governor against Stacey Abrams in 2018.
Then
Lawsuits challenged the purges; a 2019 federal case reduced the purge list. Kemp won the 2018 race amid allegations of voter suppression.
Now
The dispute fueled national debate over voter suppression and proposals for federal voting legislation that never passed.
Why this matters now
Mirrors the India allegations of mass exclusion and the conflict-of-interest concern of an election body managing rolls it is supposed to protect.
